On July 21, a sudden hailstorm hit Xi’an and Qian County in Xianyang, Shaanxi Province, causing severe damage to local fruit farmers, potentially wiping out a year’s worth of hard work.
At 17:44 on July 21, the Xianyang Meteorological Observatory issued a yellow warning for thunderstorms and strong winds: In the next 6 hours, Yongshou County, Chunhua County, Qian County, Liquan County, Jingyang County, Sanyuan County, Qindu District, Weicheng District, Xingping City, Wugong County, the southern part of Binzhou City, and the southern part of Xunyi County may be affected by thunderstorms and strong winds, with gusts up to level 7 or above accompanied by lightning. There may be local short-term heavy rain or hail, with rainfall of 20-40 millimeters per hour.
Videos shared by local netizens showed that around 17:40 on the 21st, hail suddenly fell on northern towns in Qian County, Xianyang. The fruits, on the verge of ripening, were heavily damaged by the hail, leaving them scarred. The scene portrayed in the videos suggests that the ground was covered in hail, with some hailstones being quite large, causing many leaves to fall off the trees.
In addition to Qian County, Liquan County also suffered significant losses. A local netizen posted, “Our village, Sunjiazhui Village in Nanfang Town, Liquan, suffered heavy losses. After the heavy rain hit our home, the scene was unbearable, the fruit storage in our courtyard was flooded, and the fruit storage collapsed with water over a foot high in the house.”
At 17:52 on the same day, the Liquan County Meteorological Observatory issued an orange warning for thunderstorms and strong winds: In the next 3 hours, places such as Junma Town, Qiandong Town, Xizhangpu Town, Fenghuo Town, Shitan Town, Yanxia Town, Zhaoling Town, Chicun Town, and Nanfang Town may experience gusts of wind of level 8 or above, accompanied by lightning. There may be local short-term heavy rain or hail, with rainfall of 20-40 millimeters per hour.
According to reports from Jiu Pai News, on the same day, some areas in Xi’an also experienced a sudden hailstorm that lasted about half an hour, with hailstones as big as chicken eggs, causing many vehicles parked outside to be dented.
According to the Shaanxi Provincial Meteorological Observatory forecast, from 8:00 on July 22 to 8:00 on July 23, thunderstorm weather is expected to continue in most parts of the province, with short periods of heavy rainfall, thunderstorm winds, and hail in many areas. In addition, severe convective weather is sudden and destructive, posing risks of urban flooding, landslides, flash floods, and increased river levels and other secondary disasters that need to be prevented.