Jiangsu tornado

On the afternoon of June 23, 2016, a severe thunderstorm produced a large, violent tornado over Jiangsu province, China. Striking areas along the outskirts of Yancheng around 2:30 p.m. local time, the tornado killed at least 99 people and injured 846 others (152 critically). The China Meteorological Administration later ranked the tornado as an EF4 on the Enhanced Fujita scale.[1]

Jiangsu tornado (June 23, 2016)
EF4 tornado
Visible satellite imagery of the thunderstorm complex over eastern China at 1:25 p.m. local time (05:25 UTC)—roughly an hour before the tornado struck Jiangsu
TypeTornado
Formed23 June 2016 ≈ 2:30 p.m. (UTC+8:00)
Max. rating1EF4 tornado
Highest winds
  • 266–322 km/h (165–200 mph)
Damage760 million (2016 USD)
Casualties99 fatalities, 846 injuries
Areas affectedJiangsu (Funing and Sheyang Counties)
1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale

Background

During the late spring and early summer, a semi-permanent frontal boundary—called the meiyu front—emerges across eastern China, Taiwan, and Japan. This feature leads to prolonged periods of heavy rain and thunderstorms which frequently cause damage. Rainfall along this boundary tends to be particularly heavy in post-El Niño summers, such as the summer of 2016. On June 23, 2016, a band of intense thunderstorms roughly 970 km (600 mi) across developed along the meiyu front in eastern China. One particular storm complex over Jiangsu Province spanned 400 to 480 km (250 to 300 mi) and produced a tornado near Yancheng around 2:30 p.m. local time (0630 UTC).[2] The tornado was accompanied by a hailstorm.[3] Damage analysis found damage consistent with EF4 intensity, and the China Meteorological Administration rated the tornado as an EF4, with maximum sustained winds greater than 240 feet per second, or 165 mph (266 km/h).[4]

Impact

The enormous, wedge-shaped tornado carved a wide path of destruction through Funing and Sheyang counties in Jiangsu province, at one point being 4.1km wide (2.5 miles) leaving behind catastrophic damage as it impacted the outskirts of Yancheng. Wind speeds of up to 125 kilometers per hour (78 mph) were measured at the edge of the city.[5] Thousands of masonry-construction homes were damaged or destroyed, with many completely leveled. Manufacturing plants, businesses, and rice mills suffered from similar destruction, and multiple large factory buildings were severely damaged at a Canadian Solar plant. A large school building sustained major structural damage as well.[6] Many vehicles were tossed and destroyed; trees were completely denuded and debarked; and numerous metal power line pylons and truss towers were bent and crumpled to the ground.[5] First responders reported bodies strewn across devastated communities.[7] Damage were nearly at CN¥5 billion (US$760 million).[8]

Response

At least 99 people were killed and 846 others were injured,[9][10] including 152 in critical condition.[5] China's news service, Xinhua, called the event one of the deadliest disasters to hit Jiangsu in decades,[11] and the deadliest tornado to hit China in half a century.[12] Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang requested "all-out rescue efforts" to aid victims and survivors.[5] Hundreds of residents were left trapped in rubble.[11] The event was declared a national-level disaster.[7] Disaster response teams were deployed from Beijing that evening, providing 1,000 tents, 2,000 beds, and floodlights.[3]

Confirmed tornadoes
Confirmed tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita rating
EFU EF0 EF1 EF2 EF3 EF4 EF5 Total
1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2
List of confirmed tornadoes – Thursday, June 23, 2016[note 1]
EF# Location County / Parish State Start Coord. Time (UTC) Path length Max width Summary Refs
EF4 Yancheng area Funing, Sheyang Jiangsu N/A 14:14 UTC  – 14:50 UTC 21.96 miles (35.34 km) 4,400 yards (4,000 m) 99 deaths – 846 people were injured by this tornado. See section on this tornado [13][14]
EFU Sheyang area Sheyang Jiangsu N/A 15:10 UTC – 15:30 UTC N/A N/A Another tornado was spawned from the same supercell about twenty minutes after the first tornado, but the damages done by that tornado are unknown. [15]

See also

Notes
  1. All dates are based on the local time zone where the tornado touched down; however, all times are in Coordinated Universal Time for consistency.

References
  1. Li, Jingyuan; F. Ping; S. Zhou; X. Shen (2019). "Numerical simulation of a strong tornado in eastern China with different microphysical schemes". Atmos. Sci. Lett. 20 (2): e875. doi:10.1002/asl.875.
  2. Bob Henson (June 23, 2016). "At Least 78 Deaths in China Tornado; Midwest Dodges Major Damage". Weather Underground. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
  3. Steven Jiang (June 23, 2016). "Severe weather, including rare tornado, kills at least 78 in China". CNN. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
  4. "Death toll from tornado in China rises to 99". World Bulletin. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  5. "China weather: Tornado and hail kill scores in Jiangsu". BBC. June 23, 2016. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
  6. Javier C. Hernández (June 23, 2016). "Tornado Kills at Least 78 in Eastern China". The New York Times. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
  7. Melanie Eversley (June 23, 2016). "Powerful tornado strikes China; At least 78 reportedly dead". USA Today. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
  8. "盐城"6·23"特大龙卷风灾后重建：一切让老百姓说了算" (in Chinese). Yangtse Evening Post. June 23, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  9. "江苏盐城龙卷风冰雹已造成98人死800人伤" (in Chinese). Sina Corp. June 24, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  10. Kalra, Shivika. "99 killed, 846 injured in China tornado and hailstorm". India Today. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  11. Merrit Kennedy (June 23, 2016). "Photos: 78 People Dead After Powerful Tornado Slams Into Eastern China". NPR. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
  12. "China mounts rescue efforts as tornado toll hits 98". Bangkok Post. AFP. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  13. https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Location-and-pathway-of-the-Funing-tornado-23-June-2016-A-Location-of-Funing-county_fig3_320313500
  14. http://twister.caps.ou.edu/papers/MengEtal_WAF2018.pdf
  15. http://twister.caps.ou.edu/papers/MengEtal_WAF2018.pdf
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