March 2019 southern Nepal tornado

Prior to the 2019 event, no tornado had ever been officially confirmed in Nepal; the lack of such events is reflected by the Nepali language not having a word for "tornado". Nepal has a limited meteorological network and records of past weather events are sparse. Some parts of the country had no log of data prior to 1956. In that year the India Meteorological Department established weather stations, later turning over responsibility to the Nepalese government in 1966. Concerted efforts to steadily expand the observation network began in the 1980s, with 60 rain gauges established by 1985. In 2019, the government built a Doppler weather radar in Surkhet and had plans for two more. The United States' National Centers for Environmental Information highlights an increased likelihood of tornadoes from Ganges Basin northwest along the southern slopes of the Himalayas, through Nepal, and into northeastern Pakistan. Reports of tornadoes in this region are primarily clustered in Bangladesh, with only sporadic events farther northwest. Some of the deadliest tornadoes on record occur in these areas; one such tornado in 1989 killed an estimated 1,300 people in Bangladesh's Manikganj District. Before the tornado on March 31, the meteorological division of Nepal had issued a general forecast of possible rain for a large region, but it lacks the ability to determine the exact nature, strength or location of an incoming storm. The rural farming communities hit by the storm live mostly in huts made of mud, grass and bamboo sticks. Electric transmission lines have been built to pass through residential areas or vice versa with little regard for safety and regulations. On the evening of the storm, most of the families were gathered in their homes and getting ready for dinner. Some people were still on the road trying to make it home. ==Events==

On March 31, 2019, at around 07:45 pm local time (GMT +5:45), a supercell thunderstorm spawned a strong tornado in the Chitwan National Park—and reaching a maximum width of , it ravaged many rural communities in the two districts for a half hour, wreaking havoc. Hardest-hit were the villages of Bharbalia, Parwanipur, and Pheta in Bara. The actual numbers were reported to be as high as 50. The tornado also injured 1,176 people and a total of 3,291 families were reported affected. of crops were destroyed and were damaged. Dozens of livestock and 5,000 hens were killed. Total damage from the tornado and the parent thunderstorm reached Rs.90 million (US$800,000). Based on the damage, the tornado was estimated to have been an EF2 or EF3. ==Aftermath==

At 10:37 pm, Prime minister KP Sharma Oli informed the world of the disaster via a tweet. He also informed that security personnel had already been deployed for rescue. On April 1 critically injured were airlifted to Kathmandu in Nepal Army's sky truck and M17 chopper. The Nepalese Army placed a helicopter on standby for relief efforts soon after the tornado; however, continued bad weather inhibited its use. Two ground units were deployed with aid and reached affected communities on the morning of 1 April. The Ministry of Home Affairs provided 468 sets of tents and tarpaulins and 4,138 units of clothing. The Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) distributed food and emergency items, with the Chitwan District chapter providing of beaten rice, of puffed rice, and 15 cartons of noodles. Bagmati Province provided Rs.10 million (US$90,000) to Province No. 2. The Nepalese Army established tent cities to accommodate displaced persons; however, living conditions became difficult with temperatures reaching in the following weeks. Local hospitals in Bara were overwhelmed with the number of injured persons and ran out of beds. Floor mattresses were used to accommodate additional victims. Mountain Heart Nepal established a clinic in Kalaiya and treated 160 people by 4 April. The Parsa chapter of the NRCS collected 300 pints of blood from donation centers to support injury treatment. Doctors at the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division noted an increased risk of diseases with people left homeless, a lack of clean water, dead animals out in the open, and an abundance of mosquitos. Victims were critical of famous people flying into affected regions to take selfies of themselves distributing relief goods. The Pathlaiya-Birganj road became gridlocked with people bringing in aid and/or coming in to see the damage firsthand. Members of the Canadian Centre for International Studies and Cooperation in Nepal assisted in damage assessment and the needs of victims. With assistance from the Government of Australia and the United Nations Population Fund, WOREC Nepal established psychosocial counseling for women in Devtaal, Parwanipur, Pheta and Suvarna. ==Scientific analysis==

A team of researchers from The Small Earth Nepal and the country's Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) collaborated on a review of the damage. Reports of "spinning winds" from locals prompted Archana Shrestha, a meteorologist at the DHM, to investigate. The team conducted a four-day survey of affected towns, documenting and measuring damage. They also utilized imagery from the Sentinel-2 satellite and geolocated social media posts to compile a complete picture. Their results indicated a strong EF2 to EF3 tornado, with winds between . With the help of forensic evidence, including satellite and drone images, as well as eye-witness accounts, a group of scientists concluded that the event was a tornado. ==See also==