China is reeling from two devastating tornadoes in Hubei province that have left at least 11 people dead. The disaster comes as heavy rains lash China’s central and southern regions, causing fatalities and crop damage. The weather is expected to remain extreme till later in the week as a powerful typhoon approaches the eastern coast.
As tornadoes wreaked havoc in Hubei province, powerful winds reaching up to 149 kph (93 mph) overturned vehicles and ripped roofs off buildings, reported state media Xinhua on Tuesday.
Citing Hubei emergency management authorities, Xinhua added that gales measuring level 13 on the extended Beaufort wind force scale swept across Huangshi, Huanggang, Xianning, and Ezhou over four hours on Monday evening.
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Super Typhoon Bavi
Eastern China will face fierce winds and torrential rain later this week from Super Typhoon Bavi, reported Bloomberg.
The system is currently churning in the Philippine Sea after striking the US territorial island of Rota near Guam. It is equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane and is forecast to cross the Chinese coast on Saturday.
National Meteorological Center of China reportedly expects Bavi to make landfall as a strong or super typhoon over Zhejiang province on Saturday afternoon or evening, with top sustained winds of up to 187 km/hr.
According to the US Joint Typhoon Warning Center, Super Typhoon Bavi was about 1,800 kilometers southeast of Okinawa Island, Japan, as of Tuesday morning (local time).
It was packing maximum sustained winds of 250 km/hr.
JTWC has also noted that Bavi is expected to pass close to Taiwan as a strong typhoon around late Friday and into early Saturday.
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Hubei and tornadoes
Wang Xiaoling, an expert at the provincial meteorological bureau, told Hubei Daily that tornadoes are extremely rare for the province, a major industrial, automotive manufacturing, and technology hub. The province’s last recorded tornado was in May 2021.
The National Meteorological Centre warned that northeastern Hubei must brace for further heavy to torrential rain on Tuesday.
The National Meteorological Centre has reportedly said that northeastern Hubei should brace for further heavy to torrential rain on Tuesday.
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It has also warned of heavy rain across parts of the southwestern Guangxi region, the southern provinces of Guangdong and Hainan, and the more northerly provinces of Jilin, Shandong and Liaoning, among other areas.
Northern China’s rainy season is set to begin earlier than its usual July 18th onset, and is likely to be wetter than average.
Meanwhile, the National Climate Centre reportedly said the outlook for the country is for more torrential rain in the coming weeks, with July and August set to see downpours.
Furthermore, swathes of southern China, including Guangdong and Guangxi, are forecast to see rainfall up to 50 per cent above normal during that period.
