Five individuals have lost their lives and 33 others sustained injuries in a tornado that struck Guangzhou, located in southern China, as reported by CNN, citing Chinese state media. The city, which is home to 19 million people, experienced tornadoes at a level-three intensity, two levels below the highest level of five.
Authorities noted that while 141 factory buildings were damaged, no residential houses collapsed, according to the Xinhua news agency. A weather station in Liangtian Village, Baiyun District, approximately 1.7 miles from the tornado’s impact area, recorded a maximum wind gust of 20.6 meters per second.
Search and rescue operations concluded by 10 pm local time. Following the tornado, several days of heavy rains have struck southern China, leading to deadly floods and endangering the lives of tens of millions of people. Guangdong province, an economic hub with a population of 127 million, has witnessed widespread flooding, prompting the relocation of over 110,000 people, according to state media citing local government reports.
The Pearl River Delta, China’s manufacturing heartland and one of its most populous regions, has experienced sustained torrential rains since April 16, with four weather stations in Guangdong recording record rainfall for April. While the Pearl River basin typically faces annual flooding from April to September, recent years have seen more intense rainstorms and severe floods, attributed to the climate crisis exacerbating extreme weather patterns.
Although tornadoes are not as common in China as they are in the US, they do occur. A 2015 peer-reviewed scientific article revealed that China averages fewer than 100 tornadoes per year, with at least 1,772 deaths recorded from tornadoes in the country over the 50 years since 1961.
The China Meteorological Agency has cautioned that heavy rain and strong storms are expected to continue until the end of the month.