Tornado-Like Storms Strike China, Alaska and Guam in One Bizarre Week

The week in weather got off to an odd start with tornadic activity reported in unlikely places. Here is a look at where twisters have spun up in recent days.

Rare Tornadoes Spin Up in China and Guam

Tornadoes can take root nearly anywhere where thunderstorms are happening. However, that does not make what happened this week any less bizarre.

The first unusual tornado formed late Sunday and into Monday in Huanggang, China.  Coming to life in Hubei province, about 50 miles east of Wuhan, this tornado killed at least 11 people after it roared through a populated metropolitan area.

The Chinese tornado packed winds ranging between 150 and 170 mph, putting it on the border between an EF3 and EF4 event as defined by the Enhanced Fujita Scale. According to Chinese storm chaser Eric Wang, this tornado was the deadliest in China since a 2.5-mile-wide monster hit the city of Funing in June of 23, killing 98 people.

Meanwhile, a completely unrelated storm produced a tornado on the island of Guam on Monday morning. This tornado came out of Supertyphoon Bavi, a tropical weather event that packed wind gusts of over 150 mph. Bavi generated a rash of tornadoes and waterspouts as it approached the Northern Mariana Islands.

While officials are still waiting for official confirmation from the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) in Tiyan, this would be Guam's first official tornado in history. The good news is that the twister hit a rural location on the island, mitigating the potential damage. In addition, it will be challenging to determine if the damage was specifically caused by a tornado or the overall impacts of the major typhoon.

Closer to Home, Tornado Hits Remote Alaskan Area

Moving closer to home, a tornado churned over a portion of the remote Alaskan wilderness between Anchorage and Fairbanks on July 4. This is notable, as Alaska has only recorded six tornadoes prior to this one. The twister was visible for roughly 15 minutes.

Due to the remote location of this tornado, the NWS will not be able to conduct a damage assessment. This means that the rare twister will not be assigned an official rating. The local NWS office in Anchorage said that “there are no visible signs that the funnel was in contact with the ground."

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