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Josephine Ma

He Huifeng

A strong tornado hit China’s southern mega city of Guangzhou on Saturday afternoon, killing five people and injuring 33, as severe rain and a hailstorm battered the Guangdong provincial capital.
Authorities said the tornado was of level-three intensity, two tiers lower than the highest level of five. An investigation into the damage caused was under way, state news agency Xinhua reported.
In all, 141 factory buildings were damaged, authorities said.
The weather station in Liangtian village in Guangzhou’s Baiyun district, roughly 2.8km (1.7 miles) from the tornado’s “point of occurrence”, registered a maximum wind gust of 20.6 metres per second at around 3pm, Xinhua said.
Record-breaking floods hit China’s Guangdong, killing 4 and displacing thousands
It comes as Guangdong battles record-breaking floods caused by heavy downpours that have left at least four dead and displaced tens of thousands across several cities. At least 10 people have also been reported missing.
Earlier in the day, city authorities issued thunderstorm, rainstorm, hailstorm and tornado warnings in many districts.
Hailstones the size of eggs damaged cars and windows in several parts of the Guangzhou districts of Zengcheng and Panyu.
“The tornado and hailstorms were terrible. I told my parents to stay indoors even though most of their vegetable crops were damaged,” said Qiu Ruifa, a Guangzhou resident whose parents live in a rural area in Conghua district.

The weather forced a slew of flight cancellations at Guangzhou’s airport, one of the country’s busiest.
Stranded passengers posted photos and footage of water pouring into the facility from cracks in the roof, causing severe flooding.
Local authorities said nearly 950 people were relocated and around 30 experts were sent to assess the security of factories in the affected area and surrounding residential buildings.
More rain is forecast for the province over the next five days, with a high risk of heavy downpours, hail and tornadoes.
Guangzhou authorities announced on Saturday that the city’s total rainfall for the month had already reached 455.8mm (17.9 inches), the highest for April since 1951.


Retired teacher Zhu Yinghua said the water was making its way inside buildings.
“Days of heavy rains have caused rainwater to penetrate from the building’s exterior walls to the walls of the bedrooms,” Zhu said.
The downpours have also added uncertainties to the ongoing Canton Fair, the country’s biggest trade exhibition.
The fair, a barometer of China’s exports, was crowded with foreign buyers during its first of three phases between April 15 and 20 but the flow seemed to have slowed in recent days due to the weather, exporters said.
Various parts of the country have been hit by deadly extreme weather in recent years. The eastern province of Jiangxi was battered by intense winds and cloudbursts in March, killing three people. And in September, two tornadoes in the eastern province of Jiangsu killed 10 people.


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Accidents, extreme weather and disasters in China

Tornado kills 5 in flood-hit southern Chinese city of Guangzhou

Widespread debris and damaged buildings seen in Baiyun district of Guangzhou in the aftermath of Saturday’s killer tornado. Photo: CNS/AFP

Chunks of hail damaged cars and windows in parts of Guangzhou on Saturday. Photo: Weibo

Heavy rains continue to batter China’s Guangdong province as forecasters warn more storms are coming

A flooded island in Qingyuan, a city to the north of Guangdong’s provincial capital Guangzhou. Photo: AFP

Rescuers deliver food to residents of  Yingde city in Guangdong. Photo: Xinhua via AP

China’s ‘sinking’ big coastal cities at risk of floods as sea levels rise, study warns

Researchers from China and the US have found around one-third of China’s population in 82 studied cities live in regions subsiding faster than 3mm a year, while 7 per cent live in areas subsiding faster than 10mm a year. Photo: Reuters

Hong Kong hit with heavy rains and high winds as thunderstorm moves east

People on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront on Monday dress for the weather. Photo: Jelly Tse

Threatening skies over Tsim Sha Tsui as people don wet weather gear. Photo: Jelly Tse

News

China

Science

33 people were also injured when level-three storm hit around 3pm on Saturday, authorities say
More wet weather on the way for city already drenched in record rainfall


33 people were also injured when level-three storm hit around 3pm on Saturday, authorities say.


Tornado kills 5 in flood-hit southern Chinese city of Guangzhou

33 people were also injured when level-three storm hit around 3pm on Saturday, authorities say More wet weather on the way for city already drenched in record rainfall

33 people were also injured when level-three storm hit around 3pm on Saturday, authorities say

More wet weather on the way for city already drenched in record rainfall