There was a tornado last night, and the trees were uprooted! How to escape in a tornado?

According to the official Weibo of Guangdong Provincial Meteorological Public Service Center, a tornado occurred in Taiping Town, Conghua at around 19:25.

According to the feedback from the eyewitnesses, the life span of this tornado was about 3 minutes. The Taiping No. 2 Middle School Meteorological Station, which was closest to the tornado (about 700 meters), recorded a force 6 gust (12.6 meters per second). It caused power outages in some areas, the collapse of temporary scaffolding, and the damage of green trees to block traffic, mainly involving Taiping Development Zone, Taiping Village, and Yanjiang West Road in Taiping Town. No casualties have been found so far.

The “special” Chinese tornado

Tornadoes are small-scale weather systems with a short lifespan but extremely destructive power. They come suddenly and are impossible to avoid.

In fact, there is no "complete statistics" on the research data of tornadoes, because they come and go too quickly and are too small. It is an impossible task to record every tornado that occurs in detail.

Compared with the United States, where more than 1,200 tornadoes occur each year, the situation in my country is completely different. The environment in which tornadoes occur in my country is complex, and they often occur in rainstorms, thunderstorms, gale winds, or typhoons. The environmental conditions for tornado formation vary greatly under different weather backgrounds.

Tornadoes usually coexist with heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, hail and other types of weather phenomena, making the forecast, warning and research of tornadoes in my country more difficult. In addition, my country has a vast territory, and the environmental conditions for tornadoes in different regions are also very different.

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What should I do if I encounter a tornado?

A tornado is a kind of violent 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. Once we encounter one, how should we defend ourselves?

First, if you are at home, be sure to stay away from doors, windows and the outer walls of the house, hide behind a wall or in a small room opposite to the direction of the tornado, and squat with your head covered. The basement or semi-basement is the safest place to avoid a tornado;

Second, in the event of an emergency such as a fallen electric pole or collapsed building, the power supply should be cut off immediately to prevent electric shock or fire.

Third, when you encounter a tornado in the wild, you should find a low-lying area nearby and lie down on the ground, but stay away from large trees, electric poles, billboards, walls, etc. to avoid being hit, crushed, or electrocuted;

Fourth, when you encounter a tornado while traveling by car, you should drive in the opposite direction to avoid it, or immediately leave the car and take shelter in a low-lying area.

Comprehensive sources: National Emergency Broadcasting Network, China Meteorological Bureau, Guangzhou Weather, Guangdong Public DV Site, etc.