On May 16th, following the hailstorms that hit Beijing and Hebei earlier this month, extreme weather conditions, including hail, struck Beijing once again. Videos shared by netizens showed hail the size of pigeon eggs falling in Beijing, damaging vehicles. Some cars took shelter under bridges, causing road congestion.
The China Meteorological Administration issued a blue alert for severe convective weather on May 16th, predicting that from the afternoon of the 16th to 2 PM on the 17th, parts of western Northeast China and central-northern North China would experience severe thunderstorms with wind speeds or hail of above 8 on the Beaufort scale.
At 9:15 AM on the same day, the Beijing Meteorological Observatory issued orange alerts for thunderstorms, yellow alerts for hail, and yellow alerts for strong winds.
According to the warning, from 3 PM to 11 PM on the 16th, Beijing would experience thunderstorms moving from west to east, with locally heavy rainfall, accompanied by strong winds of 8 to 10 on the Beaufort scale and isolated hail.
Earlier on the 13th, Beijing was suddenly hit by hail with hailstones reaching around 5 cm in diameter, causing damage to tens of thousands of vehicles and many smashed car windows. According to reports, three insurance companies, including PICC Property and Casualty Company Limited, Ping An Property & Casualty, and Pacific Insurance, received over 44,000 claims.
On the 13th, to prevent vehicles from being damaged, nearly 20% of parked vehicles in areas like Xingfunanli and Guangminglou in Dongcheng District had already been covered with rainproof car covers, and some residents even used carport supports for protection, as reported by the Beijing News.
Videos shared online showed people covering their vehicles with blankets in a parking lot. Some netizens expressed fear, saying, “Once bitten by a snake, one is afraid of well ropes for ten years. Being hit by hail while driving on the highway, now whenever I see dark clouds, I get scared.” Others humorously commented, “Even the dream of selling blankets didn’t anticipate selling out in such a hot May.”
In addition to rainproof car covers and blankets, online videos showed car owners using blankets, sheets, and even cardboard boxes to protect against hail.
According to Jimo News, on that day, from 5 PM to 10 AM on the 17th, the Joy City Mall in western Beijing provided free parking for its customers in the underground garage. By around 5 PM on the 16th, over 800 parking spaces were almost fully occupied.
In the evening, the Beijing Meteorological Observatory forecasted that around 6 PM that day, hail with a diameter of around 2 cm hit Foyeding and Xiangying Township in Yanqing, Liulimiao in Huairou, Fengjiayu and Gaoling in Miyun. Local gusts reached around 8 on the Beaufort scale in Yanqing, Haidian, and other areas. By 7 PM, the city’s average precipitation was 0.7 mm, with the highest precipitation of 20.1 mm recorded in Toudaoling in Miyun. The most intense precipitation occurred at Toudaoling in Miyun from 6 PM to 7 PM with 19.9 mm of rainfall.
Videos shared by netizens showed vehicles being hit by hail, with hailstones the size of pigeon eggs visible in the video. Another video showed some drivers fearing their vehicles would be damaged by hail and, consequently, took shelter under bridges, leading to road blockages and causing traffic congestion.
However, according to Beijing netizens, “The hail was noticeably smaller on the 16th, and the area was also smaller.” Some areas did not experience hail, but strong winds reached new heights. From last night (the 16th) until today, the strong winds continued unabated. The sounds outside the window were so intense, no one knew who fell, who shattered, who flew, who was ruined… A sunny day matched with gusts of wind at level 8, it was truly a day full of peculiarities!