On the afternoon of June 16, 2026, around 4 o’clock, a sudden hailstorm hit Zhangjiakou, Hebei province. The hailstones were large and dense, causing extensive damage. Some hailstones weighed as much as 1 jin and 3 liang (approximately 600 grams), and pedestrians were injured with blood streaming from their heads. Many people exclaimed it was like “the end of the world.”
In June, hailstorms have been occurring in various parts of Hebei. On the afternoon of June 16, in Xuanhua District of Zhangjiakou, Hebei, a powerful hailstorm struck. In a video captured by residents, hailstones seemed to pour directly from the sky, with large sizes and high intensity, emitting terrifying sounds. The person recording the video can be heard saying, “It’s too scary, it feels like doomsday!”
Online, some residents shared videos weighing the hailstones, with the largest one weighing 1 jin and 3 liang. While some netizens expressed doubts in the comments section, locals confirmed the authenticity of the videos.
One woman posted, “It’s too scary. I’m glad I didn’t go out, or my head would have been smashed into a big hole.”
In the images she shared, the windshield of her car was cracked with many fissures at the front and several large holes at the rear. Nearby, car windows were shattered.
Some netizens revealed that the hail in Zhangjiakou was shaped like cannonballs, shattering roof tiles of villagers’ houses. While it poured heavy rain outside, inside the villagers’ homes, it was as if raining lightly. After the hailstorm, villagers were busy replacing roof tiles, with the local building material stores running out of stock, leaving slower villagers unable to purchase any. Additionally, the fruits and vegetables in the fields were completely destroyed, facing a total loss.
Locals also shared pictures of pedestrians who were injured and unable to seek shelter in time. One elderly man had his head smashed, his face covered in blood. An elderly woman had injuries on the right side of her head, holding a cloth against it while sitting on a chair. Another middle-aged man had a broken head, pressing a cloth against it while making a call for help.
Up to now, several counties and cities in Hebei have been continuously hit by severe hailstorms. The first wave occurred from June 3 to 5, affecting areas including Baoding, Xiong’an New District, Langfang, Shijiazhuang, Cangzhou, Hengshui, and Handan.
On June 5, it rained heavily with hail in Gu’an County, Hebei, described by locals as an extremely rare disaster not seen in over forty years. Villagers mentioned that their corn, watermelons, and other crops were completely ruined, resulting in a wasted year.
On June 3, hailstorm hit the Sizhai Town of Botou in Cangzhou, Hebei, causing significant damages, leading to water, electricity, and internet shutdown for three days.
The second wave occurred on the evening of June 10, from 6 to 7 p.m., in Macheng District of Baoding, Hebei. Residents reported that the hailstones were as big as eggs or fists, forming layers as thick as heavy snow on the ground. Some places even registered a record of 3 rounds of hail in 4 hours.
Many farmers lamented, “Just when things were getting back to normal, we were hit again.” Some netizens questioned whether Hebei was bearing too heavy a burden of grievances.