On the evening of April 24th, the surrounding areas of Kunming City in Yunnan Province, China, were hit by simultaneous attacks of strong winds, heavy rain, and hail. Local netizens described it as a disaster movie-like scenario, reminiscent of the “epic hailstorm” that previously hit Guizhou.
In the evening of April 24th, Songming County in Kunming City, Yunnan Province, was struck by a severe hailstorm, with large hailstones the size of “eggs” pounding the ground, vehicles, and farmland. Within 10 minutes, a 15-centimeter thick ice layer accumulated on the highway, creating a terrifying scene.
A Douyin account claiming to be the “sole designated cooperation account for Global Geography” posted a video in the morning of April 25th, describing the hailstorm in Kunming as “epic.” They reported that around 7 p.m. on the 24th, Songming and neighboring areas of Kunming were hit by intense convective hailstorm weather, with egg-sized hailstones densely falling, smashing car windows and doors. The ground was instantly covered with white hail, resembling a flowing ice river world, causing some cars on the road to break down unable to dodge the hail.
The sudden thunderstorm accompanied by hail in Kunming left a woman unable to sleep in the early hours of the 25th. She shared on social media that the storm felt like a disaster movie, making her too frightened to sleep.
Comments from Kunming residents reflected the shock and fear caused by the super hailstorm. A resident in the Guandu district of Kunming mentioned the terrifying experience of having their home’s glass doors shattered by the hail. Another resident from the same area stated, “I’m also in Guandu district, it’s terrifying, I can’t sleep.” Some mentioned they were awakened in the middle of the night by the storm.
Local residents reported that the hail shattered solar panels on rooftops.
A netizen from Yunnan shared photos saying, “I’m so scared, my car has dents all over, the windshield is broken, the village is a mess, solar panels are damaged, tiles on walls have fallen off, and each vegetable greenhouse has holes…”
A teacher from Yunnan mentioned that thunder struck at 1:03 a.m., making it indistinguishable from daylight in the neighborhood.
Multiple videos showed hail densely falling from the sky, piling up on the ground, creating hail rivers on some roads. Roofs were pierced, agricultural greenhouses, flowers, trees were destroyed, and a large number of crops were damaged. Many vehicles were surrounded by hail, with shattered windshields and severe body damage.
At 1:36 a.m. on April 25th, the Songming County Meteorological Observatory upgraded to issue a blue rainstorm warning signal: within the past 3 hours, 30 millimeters of precipitation had fallen in Dongshan of Songming County. Over the next 12 hours, rainfall was expected to weaken, with Songyang, Yangqiao, Xiaojie, Yanglin, Niulanjiang facing a high risk of rainstorm disasters, potentially triggering landslides, flash floods, and geological hazards.
Witnesses reported that while crops in greenhouses suffered relatively minor damage, the greenhouse films were significantly destroyed. Many farmers had not purchased agricultural insurance, making compensation difficult.
Although the heavy rain and hail in Kunming have temporarily ceased, the “Global Meteorological Official” warned that from April 27th to 29th, Yunnan is expected to experience more cooling rain, accompanied by thunderstorms, strong short-term rainfalls, strong winds, and hail, advising Kunming residents to be prepared.
Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan provinces are adjacent to each other, with Guizhou recently enduring a massive hailstorm. According to mainland media reports from April 20th, from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. on April 19th, 15 counties in Guizhou, including Liupanshui, Bijie, and Zunyi, were struck by hail, with the largest hailstones measuring 40 centimeters in diameter, causing roofs to shatter, car windshields to crack, and ice to flow on the roads.