In June this year, extreme convective weather with heavy rain and hail the size of chicken eggs has been affecting more than ten provinces across China. Cars’ roofs and windshields being smashed have become a common sight, prompting many people to heed the warnings and quickly cover their vehicles with blankets to mitigate losses.
As of June 19, hail warnings or severe convective weather alerts mentioning hail have been issued for at least 19 provinces in Mainland China, including Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Xinjiang.
Official warnings often underestimate the local disasters. For instance, if we consider the highest level of red alert for hail, official reports showed red alerts for Qinglong Manchu Autonomous County in Qinhuangdao, Renqiu City in Cangzhou, and Funing District in Qinhuangdao on various dates in June.
However, the actual nationwide encounter with severe hailstorms, as revealed by videos circulating among the public and reports in domestic media, indicates that the first wave of severe hailstorm areas from June 3 to 5 included Baoding, Gu’an, Langfang, Shijiazhuang, and Beijing in Hebei Province.
The second wave around June 10 affected Xiong’an, Baoding, Zhangjiakou, and Langfang.
The third wave from June 15 to 19 hit areas like Xuanhua and Datong in Zhangjiakou, Hunyuan, Kangbao, Huai’an, and Bozhou in Xinjiang.
On June 16, the Xuanhua District in Hebei province witnessed the largest hailstones, with locals reporting hail weighing up to 1.3 pounds and numerous fist-sized hailstones causing damage to vehicles and roofs across the village, resulting in outside heavy rain and indoor moisture. Some pedestrians were injured by the hailstones.
The affected locals lined up for car insurance claims at repair shops jokingly comparing it to emergency room visits at hospitals. Despite the severity of the hailstorm in Xuanhua, authorities had only issued an orange warning, not a red one.
Due to the significant damage caused by hail to vehicles, many locals learned their lesson. After another orange hail warning was issued on June 18 in Xuanhua, car owners hurriedly covered their vehicles with thick blankets, creating a unique sight on the streets.
Some car owners humorously remarked that their wrapped cars were unrecognizable, jokingly saying, “With all these coverings, I can’t even tell which one is my car anymore.”
A car owner from Xuanhua humorously remarked that during the Dragon Boat Festival, locals engage in two activities: making rice dumplings and wrapping their cars in protection.
Another car owner expressed lingering fear, saying, “After being hit once, I changed the windshield, and last night I kept looking for suitable blankets.”
A technician from a local repair shop in Hebei mentioned that a car they had repainted was damaged within 24 hours, resembling a speckled mess.
One netizen vividly described the situation, saying, “Once bitten by a snake, ten years afraid of a well rope,” emphasizing the lingering fear and caution following such incidents.
Despite the preparedness, the hail avoided Xuanhua residents this time, leading to some online mockery suggesting that their armor intimidated the hail, forcing it to avoid the area.
The abnormal weather patterns nationwide in 2026 have left many people in disbelief and concern. Online, people have been sharing their astonishment at the extraordinary hailstorms in June, with hailstones not only large but also dense, resembling a downpour from the sky and quickly accumulating, creating layers as thick as snow exceeding shoe tops. The synchronous occurrence of heavy rain with hail has led to hail drifting with floodwaters, described by some as “ice rivers,” “hail rivers,” or glaciers crossing streets in places like Anshan in Liaoning, Gu’an in Hebei, and Songming in Yunnan.
Many netizens have expressed their disbelief at this year’s unusual weather, with some jokingly exclaiming that the end of the world is near. Others have pondered on the mysterious trigger behind such extreme weather events, questioning the fairness of nature’s wrath through hailstorms.