Tornadoes suddenly struck two places in Jiangsu, killing 10 people! How to save yourself scientifically when facing terrible "wind" risks?

On September 19, tornadoes occurred in two places in Jiangsu, killing 10 people and injuring 8.

Suqian hit by tornado, 5 people died and 4 people were seriously injured

At around 17:00 on the afternoon of September 19, a strong tornado occurred in Daxing Town and Nancai Township of Suqian City, Jiangsu Province. The level was determined to be EF2. According to the latest statistics from Suqian City's emergency management department on the 20th, a total of 5 people were killed and 4 were seriously injured.

A damaged house in Nancai Village, Nancai Township, Suqian City, Jiangsu Province, photographed on September 20 (drone photo). Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Ma Haifeng)

Tornado in Yancheng, Jiangsu, kills 5 and injures 4

At 20:30 on September 19, Funing County, Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province was affected by an EF3 tornado and suffered an extreme weather disaster.

Where do tornadoes come from?

A tornado is a localized, small-scale, sudden severe convective weather. It is a strong, small-scale air vortex caused by air convection under extremely unstable weather conditions. The time and space scale of a tornado is very small, with a diameter generally less than 100 meters. The time from occurrence to dissipation is from a few minutes to tens of minutes .

Tornadoes are a type of severe convective weather with extremely destructive power. They are small-scale air vortices generated under strong unstable weather conditions. The wind speed in the center can reach 50-150 meters per second, and the diameter is generally between a few meters and hundreds of meters. Tornadoes are generated and disappear relatively quickly, and are often accompanied by severe convective weather systems such as thunderstorms, hail and heavy rains. They are extremely destructive.

In China, tornadoes are more common in plain areas. In China, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River plain, the Pearl River Delta, the Northeast Plain, the North China Plain and other places are all areas where tornadoes occur more frequently. Most provinces in China have experienced tornadoes, among which Jiangsu, Guangdong, Hubei, Anhui and other provinces are areas where tornadoes occur more frequently, with Jiangsu and Guangdong provinces having the most , followed by Hubei and Anhui provinces.

Regarding this tornado weather, meteorological experts from Jiangsu Province said that due to the influence of the Jianghuai cyclone, starting from the afternoon of the 19th, Jiangsu Province ushered in a large-scale heavy rainfall and strong wind weather process from northwest to southeast, accompanied by relatively strong tornadoes and severe convective weather. Large-scale heavy rainfall occurred in the Huaihe River and Huaibei areas of Jiangsu Province, with the maximum rainfall reaching 236 mm.

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What should you do if you encounter a tornado?

When encountering a tornado, 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, a small windowless room or a corridor on the lowest floor of a sturdy building is also a safer choice.

If you are driving a vehicle, take shelter immediately in the nearest sturdy building.

If you are outdoors when a tornado occurs, seek the nearest shelter or sturdy building as quickly as possible.

If an object is blown away by strong winds while you are 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 cover your head with your hands or a blanket. If you can safely reach a nearby low-lying area, leave the vehicle, lie on the low flat ground, and cover your head with your hands.

Comprehensive sources: Xinhua News Agency, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing Youth Daily, etc.