State media says severe convective weather tore through Hubei while torrential rains from Typhoon Maysak triggered deadly flooding and mass evacuations in the south.
By A1NEWS International
Beijing, China | Tuesday, July 7, 2026
Severe storms, rare tornadoes and fast-moving floodwaters have left a widening trail of death and destruction across central and southern China, with the latest reports indicating at least 11 people have been killed and more than 330 injured in Hubei province alone. State media initially said eight people were killed and 275 injured after “severe convective weather” swept through the region on Monday, but later updates pushed the toll higher as rescue teams continued searching affected communities.
The hardest-hit areas included Huangshi, Huanggang, Ezhou and Xianning, where thunderstorms, violent winds and tornadoes ripped through homes, commercial buildings and transport corridors. Reuters said the tornadoes were unusual for Hubei and described them as the province’s first such event since May 2021, underscoring how extreme the weather system was.
Hubei Braces for the Full Damage Bill
By Tuesday morning, Xinhua said 275 people had been injured in Huanggang’s Huangzhou district and 408 residents had been evacuated to safer locations as rescue and relief operations moved into their second day. The agency also reported that one person remained missing.
AP said the storms caused especially severe damage in Huanggang, where an EF2 tornado lifted trucks, damaged or destroyed thousands of homes, and hit warehouses and other commercial facilities. The agency added that more than 14,600 people were affected in the city alone.
The death toll and injury count remain fluid because local authorities are still assessing the full extent of the destruction. Chinese state media said the tornadoes and strong winds also toppled structures, damaged vehicles and disrupted public services across several communities.
Guangxi Floods Add Another Layer of Crisis
While Hubei was being battered by tornadoes and severe thunderstorms, southern China was dealing with another disaster front. Heavy rain and flooding linked to Typhoon Maysak killed at least two people in Guangxi and forced approximately 48,000 residents to evacuate, according to Xinhua and Reuters-linked reporting.
Officials in Nanning, the Guangxi capital, raised flood-control measures to the highest level after torrential rain breached dams and overwhelmed infrastructure. State broadcaster CCTV showed water pouring over a damaged reservoir wall, while rescue crews used boats, life vests and helmets to search flooded neighborhoods.
Reuters and AP also reported that Guangxi’s flood emergency had widened beyond Nanning, with river levels rising sharply and authorities warning that additional rainfall could trigger landslides and more evacuations. AP said the region’s flooding had already affected far more people, with some reports pointing to six deaths, 11 missing and about 130,000 evacuated across Guangxi.
Rescue Operations Underway as Weather Threat Persists
Rescue and relief work is now underway in both disaster zones. In Hubei, authorities have mobilized local response teams to reach injured residents, clear debris and account for missing people. In Guangxi, emergency crews have been deployed to reinforce levees, monitor reservoir conditions and move residents out of flood-prone areas.
The storms are part of a broader pattern of extreme weather affecting China this week, with Reuters noting that another powerful system, Super Typhoon Bavi, is also threatening to bring additional heavy rain and strong winds to parts of the country and nearby Taiwan.
Scientists have repeatedly warned that the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events are expected to increase as global temperatures rise, a risk Reuters linked to the current spate of destructive storms across China.
Why This Matters
The twin disasters in Hubei and Guangxi reveal how quickly China’s weather threats can shift from localized storms to large-scale emergencies affecting transport, housing, water systems and public safety. The damage also raises fresh questions about disaster preparedness in densely populated provinces where severe convective weather and flood events are becoming harder to contain.
For a country that has invested heavily in infrastructure and climate adaptation, the latest storms are another reminder that even advanced emergency systems can be overwhelmed when tornadoes, dam breaches and flash floods hit at the same time.
China’s latest weather emergency has evolved into a multi-province disaster, with Hubei’s rare tornado outbreak and Guangxi’s deadly flooding leaving behind a rising toll of deaths, injuries and evacuations. With rescue teams still working and local authorities continuing to assess the scale of the destruction, the full cost of the storms may yet climb further.
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