Car owners in the capital were carefully examining their
precious vehicles yesterday after hailstones the size of golf balls
fell from the sky.
Traffic was brought to a near-standstill in the heart of Beijing
when hail rained down on the city.
The hailstorm lasted for only about 10 minutes, but it was
enough to send pedestrians scurrying for cover, shielding their
heads and faces with handbags and briefcases.
The capital has also been hit by a series of thunderstorms and
heavy downpours.
Zhou Qingliang, an expert with the Central Meteorological
Observatory, said the wet weather front hit western parts of
northeast China's Liaoning
Province and parts of Hebei
Province neighboring Beijing.
"Thunderstorms with probable hail are likely to continue over
the next two to three days in those areas," he said.
(China Daily June 1, 2005)
