A destructive multi-vortex tornado, accompanied by heavy rain and large hail up to 12 cm (4.72 inches) in diameter, struck the Guangzhou megacity (population 18.6 million) at approximately 15:00 LT on April 27, 2024, leaving at least five people dead, 33 injured and 141 commercial building damaged. Guangzhou is located in south China’s Guangdong province and is one of the country’s three largest cities.
The Guangzhou Meteorological Observatory confirmed an afternoon sighting of a tornado around 15:05 LT in the Zhongluotan town of Baiyun District, following initial reports by local citizens.
“The Baiyun Zhongluotan region displayed distinct tornado characteristics in radar echo and wind field maps, raising alarms among weather officials,” forecasters at the observatory said.
The state-run Xinhua news agency quoted officials as saying the tornado exhibited level-three intensity on a five-level scale and traveled a distance of 1 km (0.62 miles), focusing its destruction on the industrial areas.
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