8 killed, 1 missing after tornadoes, storms hit eastern Hubei

Eight people were killed, and one person remains missing as of 11 pm on Monday, after severe convective weather, including tornadoes in some areas, struck eastern Hubei province on Monday night, according to provincial emergency management authorities.

In a statement released early Tuesday, Hubei's emergency management department said thunderstorms and strong winds, with gusts reaching Level 13, swept through parts of cities including Huangshi, Huanggang, Ezhou, and Xianning between 7 pm and 11 pm on Monday.

China Central Television reported that as of 5:10 am on Tuesday, 428 people had been affected in Ezhou, and 378 houses had been damaged.

Authorities are assessing the extent of the damage, while rescue and recovery efforts are underway.

Meteorological expert Wang Xiaoling said tornadoes are rare in Hubei, with the last recorded occurrence in 2021. Local media quoted Wang as saying that the tornadoes were triggered by the interaction of multiple weather systems.

Wang said these tornadoes were caused by the clash between warm, moist air associated with Typhoon Maysak's remnants and cold air moving south from the northeast, which intensified the rotation of winds.