The severe convective tornado in Shandong has caused 5 deaths and 83 injuries! How to escape from a tornado?

According to the Emergency Management Bureau of Heze City, Shandong Province: On the afternoon of July 5, affected by the high-altitude trough and the southwest warm and humid air flow on the edge of the subtropical high pressure, severe convective tornado natural disasters broke out in Dongming County, Juancheng County and other places of Heze City. Five people died after rescue efforts failed and 83 people were injured to varying degrees.

According to preliminary verification, 2,820 houses were damaged, 60,900 acres of farmland were affected, and 48 power lines were damaged.

According to videos posted by many netizens on social platforms, the height of the tornado far exceeded the tall buildings in the county town, and the tornado also swept up a lot of debris.

GIF source: Sina Weibo (see watermark)

What caused this tornado?

A tornado is a relatively violent severe convective weather. After a tornado is formed, it usually lasts from ten minutes to several hours. Its attack range is very small, but its destructive power is great.

According to experts from the Shandong Provincial Climate Center, tornadoes have occurred frequently in Shandong in recent years, with records of tornadoes in many places. Based on the data from the National Climate Center on the average number of tornadoes in each province from 1991 to 2020, Shandong has an average of 1.5 tornadoes per year.

The tornado in Shandong was caused by the passage of a high-altitude trough at low altitude, which caused dry and cold advection, forming an unstable structure with dry and cold on top and warm and humid on the bottom, thus resulting in severe convective weather.

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There are signs before a tornado comes. Learn to identify and prevent danger.

Tornadoes often occur during thunderstorms in the summer, especially in the afternoon and evening .

The wind speed in the center of a tornado can reach 100 to 200 meters per second. The diameter of the lower part of the tornado is generally between a few meters and hundreds of meters. Especially large tornadoes can reach 1 kilometer.

Although tornadoes are difficult to predict, we can predict them by looking at some signs before they arrive.

The arrival of a tornado is often accompanied by black low clouds, cumulonimbus clouds, lightning and thunder . In addition, cold wind, heavy rain and hail often also indicate the occurrence of a tornado.

What should you do if you encounter a tornado?

According to the characteristics of tornadoes and the limitations of forecasting and warning, there are three levels of prevention:

(1) In the long term before the weather occurs, such as a few hours to a few days, the weather forecast will provide a more reliable guess about the possibility of the occurrence of tornado background, that is, severe convective weather. From this time on, attention should be paid to subsequent nowcast warnings;

(2) When the meteorological department issues a near-term forecast warning a few minutes to a few hours in advance, you should reduce going out and stay in a safe place to avoid severe convective weather and possible tornadoes;

(3) When facing the threat of a tornado, especially when a tornado strikes:

If you encounter a tornado in the wild, remember to run fast, but don't run around. You should flee as fast as possible in the direction opposite to or perpendicular to the tornado's path. If you don't have time to flee, quickly find a low-lying area to lie down, but stay away from big trees and electric poles to avoid being hit, crushed or electrocuted. The correct posture is: face down, close your mouth and eyes, and protect your head with your hands and arms.

In emergency situations such as fallen electric poles or collapsed buildings, the power supply should be cut off immediately to prevent electric shock or fire.

If you are indoors, stay away from doors, windows and the outer walls of the house. The safest place is to find an underground shelter, including a basement and a safe room. If there is no available underground shelter or safe room, hide behind a wall or a small room opposite to the direction of the tornado, and squat with your head in your hands. At the same time, cover yourself with a thick mattress or blanket to prevent being hit by falling objects.

When traveling by car or driving a vehicle, do not drive or hide in the car to avoid the wind. Leave the car immediately and seek shelter in a low-lying area. If an object is blown up by the wind while driving, stop the car immediately and take emergency measures: stay in the car and fasten your seat belt, keep your head below the window, and preferably cover your head with your hands or a blanket. If you can safely reach a nearby low-lying area, leave the car, lie on the flat ground, and cover your head with your hands.

Comprehensive sources: Xinhuanet, Beijing News, Ministry of Emergency Management Education Center, China Meteorological News, etc.