Rare tornado and severe storms hit Hubei on July 6, 2026, killing 11, injuring 331, and affecting 14,600. Force 13 winds caused extensive damage; rescue operations continue with 246 relocated.
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Rescue teams have been carrying out emergency operations in Huanggang, Central China’s Hubei Province, after a rare tornado and powerful storms struck the region on July 6, 2026.
As of 12:20 am Tuesday, severe thunderstorms and strong winds across Hubei had affected around 14,600 people, leaving 11 dead, one person missing, and 331 injured, according to Xinhua News Agency, citing local authorities. Disaster relief and rescue work is continuing in an organized manner, while officials are still assessing the full scale of the damage.
Several residents told the Global Times that the tornado came as a shock, saying such weather is extremely unusual in the area. Many described serious damage to homes, buildings, vehicles, trees, and public facilities.
From Monday into Tuesday, several cities including Huangshi, Huanggang, Ezhou, and Xianning were hit by intense thunderstorm winds. In 53 townships, wind speeds reached Force 8 to Force 13, with two townships recording Force 13 winds. Tornadoes were also reported in some areas. Authorities said 246 people had been relocated as rescue teams continued working on the ground.
According to Hubei Weather, by 11 am Tuesday, meteorological authorities across the province had issued numerous weather warnings over the previous 18 hours. Although some alerts had already expired, 86 warnings remained active, mainly for heavy rain, severe convective weather, and strong winds. Residents were urged to closely follow weather and flood updates and take safety precautions.
After the disaster, nearly 3,000 rescue and relief personnel from multiple units stationed in Huanggang were deployed. In Huangzhou District, 103 residents from 81 households living in high-risk or unsafe homes were safely evacuated and properly sheltered, according to CCTV News.
CCTV also reported that the storm caused fallen trees, damaged shops, destroyed vehicles, and casualties in residential areas of Huangzhou District.
In Ezhou, authorities issued a red alert for severe convective weather at 7 pm on Monday. By 5:10 am Tuesday, preliminary figures showed that 428 people had been affected, five people had died, and 178 residents had been moved to safe shelters. A total of 155 households, covering 378 housing units, were damaged, according to the Ezhou Emergency Management Bureau.
Videos shared online by local residents appeared to show a large wedge-shaped tornado touching down in Ezhou before crossing the Yangtze River and moving toward Huangzhou’s wetland park area. The storm then swept through Huanggang Normal College, where footage showed broken windows, damaged indoor facilities, and partial roof collapse.
A student at Huanggang Normal College said she was inside her dormitory when the tornado struck. She recalled seeing parts of the exterior wall fall and roadside trees snap before hearing people shouting in the hallway. At first, she thought it might be an earthquake because tornadoes are so rare in Hubei. Power was not restored until Tuesday morning, leaving the area without electricity for more than 12 hours.
Another student who was studying in the college library shared images online showing shattered windows and students injured by broken glass. Some of the injured were later taken to hospital for treatment.
Nearby residents were also badly affected. One resident living on the 10th floor of a residential compound near the college said the storm suddenly intensified around 8 pm, with powerful lightning, thunder, and the sound of glass breaking. When he checked his apartment, the balcony windows had shattered, the window frames had collapsed, and furniture had been thrown around by the force of the wind.
He said he had seen recent reports about extreme weather in southern and central China, but never expected a tornado to hit his own neighborhood. Heavy rain is common in the area, he added, but tornadoes are extremely rare.
According to Hubei Daily, Wang Xiaoling, chief meteorological expert at the Hubei Meteorological Service, said tornadoes are highly uncommon in the province. The last recorded tornado in Hubei occurred on May 14, 2021, in Wuhan’s Caidian District.
Wang explained that the latest tornado was caused by several weather systems interacting at the same time. The remaining circulation from Typhoon Meisak combined with the plum rain front over Hubei, creating unusually warm and moist air. At the same time, a cold vortex from northeastern China pushed cold air southward. When the warm and cold air masses collided, strong vertical wind shear helped create rotating winds that developed into a tornado.
The meteorological expert said tornadoes are much more destructive than ordinary thunderstorm gales. While strong storm winds can knock down trees and tear roofs from buildings, a tornado can cause far greater damage. This tornado produced winds reaching Force 13, equivalent to about 40 meters per second. Its extremely low central pressure created powerful suction strong enough to overturn heavy vehicles, while flying debris such as branches, roof tiles, and metal fragments became dangerous high-speed projectiles.
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