Rare EF2 Tornado Tears Through City in Chinas Hubei, Killing 11 and Throwing Trucks 100 Feet

A rare EF2 tornado tore through Huanggang, a city in central China’s Hubei Province, on the night of July 6, ripping through residential compounds, factories, logistics parks, and a university campus as severe storms killed at least 11 people across the province.According to the Enhanced Fujita Scale, or EF-Scale, an EF2 is a strong tornado that can tear roofs from buildings, overturn vehicles, snap trees, and send debris through streets.In one widely reported case, a Huanggang man was pulled from his 12th-floor apartment after violent winds blew out the windows and frames of his home, according to Chinese state media and local reports. Family members said he fell into a landscaped area below and remained in intensive care as of July 7.The tornado struck Huanggang’s Huangzhou District between 8:10–8:30 p.m., according to the reports. Local authorities said the storm reached EF2 strength, with maximum winds above Level 15 on China’s wind scale—roughly 104 to 114 mph.Across eastern Hubei, the storms impacted at least 14,600 people, with China’s state news agency Xinhua reporting 11 dead, one missing, and 331 injured. The storms collapsed 22 homes and damaged 4,855 others.The Epoch Times could not independently verify the state’s casualty figures.Trucks Thrown, Homes DamagedHuangzhou District was among the hardest-hit areas.The tornado swept through main roads, residential communities, industrial zones, and logistics parks, according to Xinhua, citing a local command center.Multiple heavy trucks were lifted and moved as far as 100 feet, the report said.Within the broader provincial toll, Huangzhou District reported 5,975 people affected, four deaths, one missing person, and five people in critical condition, according to a Huanggang disaster report cited by Hubei Daily.The district estimated direct economic losses at about 450 million yuan, or roughly $62 million.The storm damaged more than 165 acres of farmland, more than 100 vehicles, 28 industrial enterprises, more than 230 street stalls, and about 2,700 trees, according to local reports. About 40,000 households lost power, with service later restored to 32,000 households.High-Rise and Campus HitChinese media reports said the high-rise where the 12th-floor fall occurred sustained heavy damage. Relatives shared that the apartment’s living room windows, frames, sofa, cabinets, and dining table were blown out by the storm.Huanggang Normal University’s north and south campuses were also in the tornado’s path.The university’s stadium roof canopy was torn off, trees were uprooted, glass doors and windows shattered, and buildings including offices, classrooms, the library, and gymnasium sustained damage, according to Jimu News, the digital media arm of state-run Hubei Daily.The same report said 45 students went to hospitals for treatment, with 17 still hospitalized as of noon on July 7. Seven faculty members also sought medical care, with four kept for observation.The university moved up its summer break to July 7 and postponed remaining exams until the fall semester.A surveillance video time-stamped 8:03 p.m. on July 6 posted on X by writer Cui Chenghao shows a police reception hall being torn apart within seconds as uniformed officers ran for cover.Rare for HubeiChina Weather News, run by the China Meteorological Administration, stated the July 6 tornado that swept through Huanggang and Ezhou reached EF2 strength.Wang Xiaoling, chief expert at the Hubei Meteorological Bureau, said tornadoes are “very rare” in Hubei and that the province’s previous tornado was recorded on May 14, 2021, in Wuhan’s Caidian District, according to Hubei Daily.Hubei is an inland province along the Yangtze River. Huanggang sits east of Wuhan, the provincial capital.Wang described the rotating winds as intensifying “like wringing a towel.”Warning Questions RemainThe Huanggang meteorological observatory issued an orange severe-convection warning at 7:56 p.m. on July 6, saying strong convective cloud clusters could bring thunderstorms, gale-force winds, and short bursts of heavy rain, according to the local news reports.The tornado struck Huangzhou District shortly afterward.Chinese official accounts reviewed did not provide a detailed public timeline showing how much advanced warning people were given before the tornado hit Huanggang’s urban districts.Xia Song contributed to this report.