Authorities in Chongqing, China, have confirmed that the cloud seeding efforts to break the recent heatwave were not the cause of the “underwear tornado.”
The latest “storm” has become a topic of discussion throughout Chongqing. After officials attempted to break the prolonged heatwave in the city by using rocket-propelled cloud seeding for artificial rain, the mega-city experienced an unusual weather phenomenon – a tornado of underwear, the Guardian reported on September 9.
The strong storm caused underwear to fly everywhere in Chongqing. (Photo: Guardian).
Referred to as the “Chongqing Underwear Crisis of September 2”, a sudden tornado on September 2, with wind gusts reaching 122 km/h, swept away laundry from the balconies of high-rise buildings across the city. Douyin, the Chinese sister app of TikTok, was flooded with videos of underwear and bras soaring through the sky, falling onto the streets, and getting caught in trees.
“I just went outside and suddenly it started pouring heavily, with underwear dropping from the sky,” said a resident named Ethele on the Weibo social media platform.
“Who will compensate me for my mental distress?” joked a resident who lost a new Calvin Klein lingerie set to the tornado.
Another chimed in: “It’s actually quite romantic. You might even pick up your crush’s underwear while walking down the street.”
A man who lost his underwear shared that he “laughed like crazy,” but the rain in Chongqing had now turned him into a “lifelong introvert.”
Chongqing and the surrounding areas have endured oppressive weather for over a week, with extreme temperatures prompting schools and universities to delay their opening dates. In an effort to cool down and alleviate drought conditions, the government turned to cloud seeding technology last week, launching nearly 200 rockets into the sky. Chongqing authorities stated that this technique was effective and rain soon followed. However, on September 2, the sudden tornado hit without warning, leading residents to speculate a connection between the two events. Nonetheless, officials completely dismissed these claims.
Tens of thousands of comments were posted on Weibo, with over 7 million viewers engaging with the hashtag “underwear crisis,” making it the 11th most popular hashtag across China on September 4. An additional 18 million users participated with hashtags suggesting “if you think you messed up, think of the Chongqing Meteorological Bureau.”
Zhang Yixuan, deputy director of the Chongqing Weather Modification Office, defended the authorities’ actions at a press conference on September 4. He stated that the winds, which also knocked over advertising boards and trees, were a natural convection phenomenon and not caused by the cloud seeding.
“The winds were very strong, but this is due to natural conditions. Artificial rainfall will not cause extreme weather,” Zhang said.
Despite this, many residents of Chongqing still draw connections between the two incidents. Over the past weekend, when the Chongqing weather agency announced forecasts of heavy rain, many residents quickly gathered their laundry indoors to prevent a repeat of the underwear crisis.
“The people of Chongqing will never forget this day,” one person shared.
An employee at a lingerie store in downtown Chongqing told the Guardian that people have not rushed to buy replacements, but coincidentally, it is “the new lingerie season,” so he expects sales to increase.
“(The people of Chongqing) are joking about this,” the employee said, “because life is very fun.”
