Hail, thunderstorms hit eastern, central Chinese provinces

Thunderstorms and hailstorms have struck parts of east China's Fujian Province and central China's Hunan Province, causing damage to buildings and farmland.

According to meteorological authorities in Fujian, a total of 19 county-level areas across the province saw cumulative rainfall of over 50 millimeters from 6am Wednesday to 6am Thursday.

During the period, 45 townships in eight county-level areas recorded cumulative rainfall of over 100 millimeters.

Heavy thunderstorms hit 22 county-level areas in Fujian during the period, with hailstorms impacting the cities of Sanming and Ningde.

The provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters of Fujian activated a Level-IV emergency response to rainstorms at 8am Thursday. Meteorological authorities have warned of possible heavy rainfall and rainstorms in several cities in Fujian, including Sanming, Putian, Longyan, Nanping and Fuzhou, from Thursday to Saturday.

Since Monday, Hunan Province has seen thunderstorms, strong winds and hailstorms in its major areas. As of 2pm Thursday, the average precipitation in the province is 60.8 millimeters.

In Hunan's 62 county-level areas, 323 monitoring stations have been lashed by strong winds of up to 36.9 meters per second. Its 14 cities and autonomous prefectures have seen hailstorms, with a maximum hail diameter of 3 centimeters reported in counties such as Longhui, Hengyang and Shuangpai, according to the provincial meteorological bureau.

Affected by the heavy rainfall, the water levels of several small and medium-sized rivers in Hunan have risen by large margins. The water level of a major tributary of the Xiangjiang River reached 51.31 meters at 8am Thursday, exceeding its alert level by 81 centimeters.

Weather forecasts predict Hunan will continue experiencing showers and thundershowers over the next three days, and parts of the province will be hit by mild to heavy rainstorms.