On the afternoon of May 13, 2026, Shilou County, Lüliang City, Shanxi Province, encountered a rare and severe hailstorm that had not been seen in decades. Lasting for about ten minutes, the hailstorm caused serious damage to local houses, vehicles, and crops.
Local netizens shared videos showing dense hail pouring down from the sky, turning the streets into ice rivers in an instant. The hailstones ranged from as small as soybeans to as large as ping pong balls, resulting in varying degrees of damage to houses and vehicles. Some netizens even reported, “My solar panels at home were smashed to pieces.”
On May 14, the meteorological department of Shilou County responded to Da Feng News that the hailstorm lasted for about ten minutes with concentrated hailfall, accompanied by strong winds and short-term heavy rainfall. The intensity, density, and destructiveness of the hail were all considered rare in the area for decades.
Staff from the Emergency Management Bureau of Shilou County stated that the hailstorm disaster did not cause any casualties, but agricultural facilities, field crops, civilian vehicles, and outdoor facilities suffered severe damage.
Upon inspection, the largest diameter of the hailstones in this hailstorm reached over 30 millimeters.
Prior to this event, on May 11, large hailstorms also hit areas such as Laiwu, Linyi, and Rizhao in Shandong, causing destruction to crops in some areas and shattering the windows of vehicles parked outside.
The hailstorms have created icy conditions reminiscent of glaciers on certain streets, highlighting the unexpected and devastating impact of natural disasters on communities in both Shandong and Shanxi provinces.
The arrival of these hailstorms has raised concerns about the resilience of infrastructure and the importance of disaster preparedness in the face of increasingly extreme weather events.