Villagers search for valuable things and clean debris of their homes at Beichen village in Funing county, Yancheng, Jiangsu province, on June 24, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

Hard to predict

The environment in which a tornado forms is similar to that of a thunderstorm or a gale, so it is very hard to identify it, according to Wu Zhifang, chief forecaster with Guangdong provincial meteorological bureau.

China has no special tornado alert system, and tornados are classified as strong convection weather.

The US is the country with the most tornados – an average of 1,122 every year from 1982 to 2010, according to National Climate Center under CMA.

What you should do in a tornado?

Leave your car, hide in low-lying areas.

Stay away from utility poles, trees, billboards, and walls which may collapse.

Stay in solid houses or underground spaces.

Weather forecast for disaster areas

Heavy rains in short periods on Friday, gales with speed up to 24.4 meters per second.

Cloudy on Saturday, temperature to reach 30 degrees.

Heavy rains possible on Sunday.