Severe convective weather, driven by the remnant circulation of Typhoon Maysak colliding with China's seasonal plum rain front, struck eastern China's Hubei Province on the evening of July 6, 2026. A large wedge-shaped tornado touched down in Ezhou, crossed the Yangtze River, and swept through the Huangzhou wetland park area before tearing through Huanggang Normal College, with winds reaching Force 8-13 — two townships recorded Force 13 gusts, around 40 meters per second. Tornadoes of this scale are extremely uncommon in the region.
The Hubei Tornado and Severe Storms have killed at least 11 people and left one person missing, with 331 injured and roughly 14,600 people affected across Huangshi, Huanggang, Ezhou, and Xianning. More than 4,800 houses were damaged and 22 collapsed. In Huangzhou District, 103 residents from 81 households were evacuated to safety, while in Ezhou 178 people were relocated to shelters after 155 households sustained damage.
Nearly 3,000 emergency personnel have been mobilized for search, rescue, and cleanup operations, and President Xi Jinping has urged "all-out" rescue efforts as authorities assess damage to hotels, hospitals, colleges, and homes throughout the affected cities.
The American Red Cross is coordinating with Red Cross Society of China partners on relief support for displaced and injured residents, while Global Empowerment Mission is preparing emergency relief supplies for the hardest-hit communities.
To support families affected by the Hubei tornado, donate through the disaster page or visit our Relief Directory to find more organizations responding.
