Tornado and Hail... "Thought It Was the End" China Groans Over Extreme Weather Changes

Guangzhou City: 5 Dead, 33 Injured Due to Tornado
Golf Ball-Sized Hail Falls in Various Parts of Downtown

Recently, a tornado struck Guangzhou, a city in southern China that had already suffered significant damage from heavy rains, resulting in five deaths.

Hail certification shot posted by Chinese netizens on SNS. [Image source=Weibo]

On the 28th, local media including China News Network reported that a powerful tornado occurred around 3 p.m. the previous day in Baiyun District, Guangzhou. According to local authorities' investigation, the tornado's impact zone was approximately 1.7 km long and 280 m wide. Notably, at the Liangtianchun observation station located 2.8 km from the site of occurrence, the maximum wind speed was measured at 20.6 m/s. Due to this tornado, five residents died and 33 were injured and are receiving treatment in hospitals. Additionally, 141 factories were damaged, but there were no collapses of residential houses, according to Guangdong provincial authorities.

Posts showing the situation at the time have been continuously uploaded on social networking services (SNS) such as Weibo. One video captured sparks flying from high-voltage power lines due to the tornado, followed by a large explosion. Another video showed the tornado sweeping up surrounding debris and metal structures as it moved forward. Local netizens reacted with comments such as "I took shelter under a table because of the tornado," "Wasn't tornado a phenomenon common in the United States?" "After the tornado, hail followed; living in Guangzhou is very dangerous," and "I thought it was the end of the world."

[Image source=Weibo]

To make matters worse, golf ball-sized hailstones fell in various parts of the city. This caused outdoor tables to shatter and car windows to break. Local netizens posted photos showing hailstones they had picked up placed on their palms as proof.

Buildings collapsed due to a tornado that occurred in Guangzhou City, southern China.
[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, various weather anomalies have been occurring recently in southern China. On the 18th, continuous heavy rains for five days caused rivers to overflow and villages to flood. Chinese meteorological authorities analyzed that the cause was the abnormal increase in humidity in the South China Sea due to rising sea surface temperatures, which destabilized the atmosphere.