Destructive tornado rips through Wuhan, killing 8 people and injuring 280, China

A destructive tornado ripped through the city of Wuhan, capital of China's Hubei Province, at around 20:39 LT on Friday, May 14, 2021, killing at least 8 people and leaving 280 injured. This is the second extreme weather event to hit the city in just 4 days. Another tornado hit the city of Shengze on May 14, killing 4 people and injuring 149​.

According to local authorities, the tornado ripped through the district of Caidian, destroying 27 houses and damaging 130.

In addition, two tower cranes were toppled and 8 000 m² (86 100 feet²) of sheds at construction sites as well as trees and electricity poles, leaving 26 600 homes without power.

This is the second extreme weather event to hit the city in just 4 days.

At least 2 people have been killed after a severe thunderstorm hit the city on May 10, 2021, turning day into night.

According to the Wuhan Emergency Management Bureau, parts of the city encountered a level 10 thunderstorm which resulted in the deaths of two workers who were on gondola cleaning windows at Sanyang Road.

The maximum rain intensity in the urban area reached 99.6 mm (3.9 inches) in 1 hour.

Authorities reported the city was also hit by record-breaking wind gusts, which destroyed roofs and windows on many buildings.

【武汉被10级雷暴大风吹袭】
【白昼秒变黑夜 2清洁工死亡】

武汉周一(10日)下午突然被10级雷暴大风吹袭，白昼如黑夜，并有狂风暴雨

2名清洁工人在清洁大厦外墙时死亡。现场片段显示，二人被困在吊篮内，狂风把高空中的吊篮吹起，再不断撞击大厦外墙#武汉#狂风暴雨 pic.twitter.com/cNm3XUCDF5

— 自由亚洲电台 (@RFA_Chinese) May 11, 2021

5月10日下午，武漢突然白天變黑夜，天空電閃雷鳴，狂風暴雨。武漢市多處地段有積水，樹木被颳倒。當地網民表示，對這突如其來的暴雨感到太嚇人了，這真的有點電影末世的感覺…… pic.twitter.com/Ct0JAeYZaz

— 小婷 (@ttingxiao) May 11, 2021

"I've grown up in Wuhan and I've never seen anything like it," one Wuhan resident said early Saturday, May 15. "There's been so much extreme weather recently."

Another destructive tornado hit the town of Shengze, in the Suzhou area of Jiangsu Province at around 19:00 LT on May 14, killing 4 people and injuring 149. Shengze is about 400 km (250 miles) east of Wuhan.

The tornado destroyed several factory buildings and damaged electricity facilities.

Jiangsu is prone to tornadoes in the late spring and early summer.

江苏苏州盛泽发生龙卷风行，目前没有听说人员死亡情况。 pic.twitter.com/427jzlw5jC

— Dam 大明 (@Dam9686) May 14, 2021

在苏州的大家要小心啊。 pic.twitter.com/Pkzr3Hdkjr

— Shengyi Wang (@txyyss) May 14, 2021

Featured image credit: CGTN