Freak Chinese Hailstorm Kills Five, Injures 66, Damages Or Destroys Thousands Of Homes - Reuters

[hatrack]

BEIJING - A freak hailstorm that lasted only half an hour killed five people, injured 66 others and damaged thousands of homes in central China on Tuesday, the official Xinhua news agency said.

The storm, with wind gusts of over 100 kilometres (62 miles) per hour, hit Dangyang city, Hubei province, in the early hours of the morning and doused it with 6 centimetres of rain.

More than 4,600 homes collapsed, were flooded or lost roofs under the onslaught, killing five people and badly injuring dozens more, 23 of whom were hospitalised, Xinhua quoted local officials saying.

EDIT

http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/47853/story.htm

[jwirr]

1. Why is this called a freak storm? It sounds like a normal hail storm

that we would have here in the midwest. Is this something different for China?

[IowaGirl]

2. Sounds like it must have been more than the usual we have here with taking all the roofs

off, etc.