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?
江苏是中国遭受龙卷风袭击最多的地区。去年7月一天内就发生了四起事件。但为什么？该省的龙卷风热点在哪里？如果我们不幸接近一个人，我们该怎么办？
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.
8月28日，江苏沿海城市盐城再次遭遇恶劣天气袭击。这不是龙卷风，但许多人认为是龙卷风。这就是龙卷风在世界这个地区登陆的频率。
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.
正如《扬子晚报》当时报道的那样，就在两周前，一场龙卷风在盐城发生，这一次是真的，夺走了两人的生命，造成 15 人受伤。
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.
据国家气候中心统计，1991年至2020年，龙卷风最多的省份是江苏、广东、湖北、安徽，其中江苏、广东最多，年均龙卷风次数分别为4.8次和4.3次。
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.
那么，江苏为何成为龙卷风磁石呢？特别是苏北地势低洼，地势平坦，河湖纵横，水网纵横。加之又处于亚热带和暖温带气候过渡带，有利于龙卷风的形成。
As for the spatial distribution of twisters in Jiangsu, there are two “corridors” to which tornados have taken a liking.
从江苏龙卷风的空间分布来看，有两条龙卷风喜闻乐见的“走廊”。
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.
一条是从安徽天长到江苏扬州高邮市，另一条则完全位于盐城境内，连接建湖、阜宁、射阳县。这使得盐城市中心区形成了龙卷风。
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.
对于那些确实处于龙卷风附近的人，专家指出要远离大树、电线杆、广告牌等。在龙卷风中，这些很可能会变成导弹。如果您在车内，应迅速下车，以免被卷走。如果您在户外，请保护好头部并找一个低洼的地方隐藏。
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.
春季和夏季是我国龙卷风最常发生的季节。全国约92%的龙卷风在4月至8月期间登陆，其中7月所占比例最高，接近30%。
