Jiangsu is visited by more tornados than any other part of China. July of last year saw four occur on just one day. But why? And where are the Province’s tornado hotspots? And what should we do if we are unlucky enough to be near one?
On 28 August, the coastal City of Yancheng in Jiangsu was victim to another attack of severe weather. It wasn’t a tornado but many presumed it was. That’s how often twisters make landfall in this part of the world.
And that was just 2 weeks after a tornado, real this time, took the lives of two people and injured 15 others, also in Yancheng, as the Yangtze Evening News reported at the time.
According to statistics from the National Climate Centre, from 1991 to 2020, the Provinces of Jiangsu, Guangdong, Hubei and Anhui saw the most tornadoes, top among which were Jiangsu and Guangdong, with an average annual tornado count of 4.8 and 4.3 respectively.
So why is Jiangsu the tornado magnet? Northern Jiangsu in particular is low lying and flat, with intertwined rivers, lakes and water networks. Combined with also being in the subtropical and warm temperate climate transition zone makes it conducive to the formation of tornadoes.
As for the spatial distribution of twisters in Jiangsu, there are two “corridors” to which tornados have taken a liking.
One is from Tianchang in Anhui to Gaoyou City of Yangzhou in Jiangsu, while the other lies entirely within Yancheng, linking the Counties of Jianhu, Funing and Sheyang. That makes the City of Yancheng downtown for the formation of tornados.
For those who do find themselves in the vicinity of a tornado, experts point out to stay away from big trees, utility poles, billboards, etc. In a tornado, these may well become missiles. If you are in a car, you should get out quick to avoid being swept up. If you are out in the open, protect your head and find a low-lying place to hide.
Spring and summer are the seasons in which tornadoes most frequently occur in China. Some 92 percent of the nation’s twisters make landfall between April and August, in which July accounts for the highest proportion, with nearly 30 percent.
