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.