Multiple regions in China encountered short-term heavy rainfall, thunderstorms with strong winds, or hail on May 9. The topic of “this heavy rain has caused certain levels of disaster” became trending on that day.
On the morning of May 9, the China Meteorological Administration continuously issued blue alerts for heavy rain and severe convective weather. More than ten provinces including Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong, and Hebei faced heavy to torrential rain, accompanied by short-term heavy rainfall, thunderstorms with strong winds, or hail.
According to a report from the New Jing Bao Video on May 10, the Meteorological Bureau of Guizhou Province revealed that on May 9, hail occurred in seven counties including Qixingguan, Weining, Nayong, Zhijin, and Hezhang in the Bijie City of Guizhou. The hail in Weining County had a maximum diameter of 40 mm. A villager from Weining County shared a video showing damages to crops such as potatoes, vegetables, and corn.
In response, the Emergency Bureau and the Agricultural and Rural Affairs Bureau of Weining County stated that the main crops affected were corn and potatoes in the growing season. Currently, Weining County has initiated an evaluation of the disaster situation and has not yet received reports of casualties.
At 20:02 on May 9, the Weining Meteorological Observatory issued an orange hail warning signal, which was upgraded to a red hail warning signal at 22:15, the highest level. It was not until 9:02 on May 10 that the Weining County Meteorological Observatory lifted the red hail warning.
On the same day, Liangshan in Sichuan also experienced hail. According to netizens, the hail lasted for about 30 minutes, and in videos, “ice rivers” could be seen flowing on the streets.
A netizen from Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province, posted a video on May 9, saying, “Sudden hail covered the ground like a white blanket, as if it had turned into winter overnight. The hail was as dense as peas, crackling, and the atmosphere was like a scene from a big movie set.”
A netizen from Suzhou City, Anhui Province, also posted on May 9 that around 6 pm, some townships in Suzhou City, Anhui Province, encountered rare hail weather. Fruit trees, wheat, and other crops suffered varying degrees of damage, exacerbating the situation due to previous drought, which was a double blow to the crops.
Videos posted by farmers showed wheat heads being knocked off.
According to reports from Yangzi Evening News, on the evening of May 9, the meteorological offices of Xuzhou City and Suqian City in Jiangsu Province successively issued severe convective orange alerts, while the Huai’an City Meteorological Observatory issued a severe convective yellow alert. Between 17:00 and 18:00, 11 stations in Nantong, Xuzhou, and Yancheng experienced wind speeds of above level 8; and from 19:00 to 20:00, four stations in Huai’an and Suqian cities experienced maximum wind speeds above level 8. In addition, hail also occurred in Xuzhou and Suqian in the evening.