Egg-sized hail hits Changzhi, more than 18 000 cars damaged, China

A heavy hailstorm struck the prefecture-level city of Changzhi in Shanxi Province, North China on Monday, June 13, 2016.

The largest hailstones were more than 45 mm (1.7 inches) in diameter. More than 18 000 cars that parked outdoors were damaged in the storm that lasted for over half an hour, Xinhua reports. 

On Sunday, June 12, a heavy rainstorm accompanied with small hail, 5 to 6 mm (0.19 to 0.23 in) in diameter, hit Shanxi's Jianhua Township in Ansai County, causing great economic loss to local agriculture. The hailstones also hit other counties such as Zichang, Yanchang, and Baota, CCTV reported. "You couldn’t tell at the time what was sky and what was land. Everything was white. There were no vehicles on the road and leaves were battered to the ground. Water was everywhere. It lasted for more than 40 minutes," said a farmer. "The crops that I have cultivated for a year were totally destroyed. There will be no harvest," another farmer said.

On the same day, a ferocious hail and rainstorm hit the city of Harbin, the capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. The sudden onslaught congested sewers and turned roads into rivers, forcing drivers and passengers to abandon their vehicles in a bid to escape rising flood waters. Coin-sized hailstones pelted Harbin for some 10 minutes before a heavy rainstorm moved in.

Featured image: Egg-sized hailstorm hits Changzhi, China on June 13, 2016. Credit: Xinhua