View source for Daulatpur–Saturia tornado

{{short description|1989 tornado in Bangladesh}}
{{Infobox weather event
| name = Daulatpur–Saturia tornado
| image = Bangladesh tornado map 1989.png
| caption = [[Dhaka]], the area hit by the tornado
| formed = 12:30&nbsp;[[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] on 26 April 1989
}}{{Infobox weather event/Tornado
| fujita-scale = F3+
| winds = {{convert|338|to|418|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}
}}{{Infobox weather event/Effects
| deaths = 1,300 (estimated)
| injuries = 12,000
| affected = [[Manikganj District|Manikganj]], [[Dhaka Division|Dhaka]], [[Bangladesh]]
}}{{Infobox weather event/Footer
| season = [[Tornadoes of 1989|tornado outbreaks of 1989]]
}}
The '''Daulatpur–Saturia tornado''' occurred in [[Manikganj District]], [[Bangladesh]] on 26 April 1989. There is great uncertainty about the death toll, but official estimates from the [[World Meteorological Organization]] indicate that it was devastating and that it killed approximately 1,300 people, which would make it the [[List of tornadoes causing 100 or more deaths|deadliest tornado in history]].<ref name="finch">{{cite web|url=http://www.bangladeshtornadoes.org/climo/btorcli0.htm|title=Tornados in Bangladesh and East India –—|access-date=2008-08-23|last1=Finch|first1=Jonathan|last2=Dewan|first2=Ashraf M.|publisher=Bangladesh tornadoes}}</ref><ref name="WMO">{{cite web|title=WMO determines highest death tolls from tropical cyclones, tornadoes, lightning and hailstorms|url=https://public-old.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/wmo-determines-highest-death-tolls-from-tropical-cyclones-tornadoes-lightning|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231218175345/https://public-old.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/wmo-determines-highest-death-tolls-from-tropical-cyclones-tornadoes-lightning|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 18, 2023|website=World Meteorological Organization|access-date=17 April 2023|date=18 May 2017}}</ref> In 2022, this tornado's status as the deadliest tornado in history was challenged, claiming it did not kill more than 922 people.<ref name="2023 Sustainability"/> The tornado affected the cities of [[Daulatpur, Manikganj|Daulatpur]] and [[Saturia]] the most, moving east through Daulatpur and eventually northeast into Saturia.<ref name="finch"/> Previously, the area that the tornado hit had been in a state of drought for six months.<ref name="finch"/>

==Background==
The [[Ganges Basin]], comprising the entirety of Bangladesh, is frequented by severe weather.<ref name="Nature">{{cite journal|author=Smriti Mallapaty|date=12 April 2019|access-date=23 April 2019|title=Nepali scientists record country's first tornado|journal=Nature|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01159-w|doi=10.1038/d41586-019-01159-w|pmid=32277167|s2cid=146701694}}</ref> Storms that are capable of producing tornadoes in this region are most common during the pre- and post-[[Monsoon of South Asia|monsoon]] months.<ref name="Bclimo">{{cite journal|last1=Peterson|first1=R. E.|last2=Mehta|first2=K. C.|title=Climatology of tornadoes of India and Bangladesh|journal=Archives for Meteorology, Geophysics and Bioclimatology, Series B|date=December 1981|volume=29|issue=4|pages=345–356|doi=10.1007/BF02263310|bibcode=1981AMGBB..29..345P|s2cid=118445516}}</ref> An average of six tornadoes occur annually in Bangladesh, with peak activity in April.<ref>{{cite web|first1=Bimal Kanti|last1=Paul|first2=Rejuan Hossain|last2=Bhuiyan|publisher=University of Colorado|year=2014|access-date=August 8, 2019|title=The April 2004 Tornado in North-Central Bangladesh: A Case for Introducing Tornado Forecasting and Warning Systems|url=https://hazards.colorado.edu/uploads/basicpage/qr169.pdf}}</ref> The pre-monsoon months (March to May) display the most favorable conditions for severe weather. During this time, [[convective available potential energy]]—an indicator of [[atmospheric instability]] whereby higher values denote a greater likelihood of thunderstorms—and [[wind shear]] are conducive to the development of rotating thunderstorms.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Yamane|first1=Yusuke|last2=Hayashi|first2=Taiichi|last3=Dewan|first3=Ashraf Mahmmood|last4=Akter|first4=Fatima|date=March 2010|title=Severe local convective storms in Bangladesh: Part I. Climatology|journal=Atmospheric Research|volume=95|issue=4|pages=400–406|doi=10.1016/j.atmosres.2009.11.004|bibcode=2010AtmRe..95..400Y}}</ref> Instability is greatest over [[West Bengal]], India, and adjacent areas of Bangladesh. Storms frequently develop in this region and travel southeast across the country. These storms are locally referred to as [[Norwesters|norwesters or Kalbaishakhi]].<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Atmosphere|first1=Samarendra|last1=Karmakar|first2=Abdul|last2=Mannan|first3=Dewan Abdul|last3=Quadir|volume=5|issue=1|date=July 2015|title=Trends in maximum temperature and thunderstorms, their correlation and impacts on the livelihood of Bangladesh|pages=113–129}}</ref>

==Event and aftermath==
On 25 April 1989, a {{cvt|1000|hPa|inHg|2}} [[Low pressure area|area of low pressure]] propagated over [[Bihar]] and West Bengal, India, with a [[Trough (meteorology)|trough]] extending east across Bangladesh and into [[Manipur]], India. The system remained largely stationary throughout the day through 26 April. On that day, another low approached from [[Madhya Pradesh]], and in conjunction with a [[Ridge (meteorology)|ridge]] over China, the [[pressure gradient]] became tighter across Bangladesh. Warm, moist air flowed northeast from the [[Bay of Bengal]] while cool, dry air flowed south from the [[Himalayas]]. In the upper-levels of the atmosphere above the low, strong westerly winds from the [[jet stream]] created ample [[wind shear]], a key factor in the development of [[supercell thunderstorm]]s capable of producing tornadoes. The jet stream became particularly intense on 26 April, with a [[Atmospheric sounding|sounding]] from [[Dhaka]] observing {{convert|240|km/h|mph|round=5|abbr=on}} winds at a height of {{convert|10.6|km|ft|abbr=on}}. An established [[dry line]] over western Bangladesh served as a focal point for thunderstorm development. By 12:00&nbsp;UTC, all the aforementioned factors served to produce severe thunderstorms across the country.<ref name="TornadoSummary"/>

Around 12:30&nbsp;UTC, a tornado touched down near Daulatpur in the Manikganj District and traveled east, soon striking Saturia. It caused tremendous damage across a {{convert|150|km2|mi2|abbr=on}} area covering three [[Upazilas of Bangladesh|upazilas]], with Saturia being hardest-hit.<ref name="TornadoSummary"/><ref name="aj28Apr2014">{{cite news|last=Angwin|first=Richard|date=28 April 2014|title=The deadliest tornado remembered|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/weather/2014/04/deadliest-tornado-remembered-20144249293887609.html|publisher=Al Jazeera|access-date=2 May 2019}}</ref> Its path was about {{convert|80|km|abbr=on}} long.<ref name="Cerveny">{{cite book|last=Cerveny|first=Randy|year=2006|title=Freaks of the Storm: From Flying Cows to Stealing Thunder: The World's Strangest True Weather Stories|publisher=[[Avalon Publishing|Thunder's Mouth Press]]|location=New York|page=[https://archive.org/details/freaksofstormwor00cerv/page/272 272]|isbn=1-56025-801-2|quote=a tornado cut a long track, up to a mile wide, through about fifty miles of the poor country [Bangladesh]. The Bangladeshi towns of Salturia [sic] and Manikganj were leveled and about eighty thousand people were left homeless.|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/freaksofstormwor00cerv/page/272}}</ref> A [[World Meteorological Organization]] news letter noted the tornado as F3 on the [[Fujita Scale]]. However, the stated wind estimate of {{convert|338|to|418|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} would rank it as an F4.<ref name="TornadoSummary">{{cite journal|journal=Journal of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences|first1=Akram|last1=Hossain|first2=Samarendra|last2=Karmakar|year=1998|volume=22|issue=1|pages=109–122|title=Some Meteorological aspects of the Saturia tornado, 1989—A case study}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|first1=Roger|last1=Edwards|first2=James G.|last2=LaDue|first3=John T.|last3=Ferree|first4=Kevin|last4=Scharfenberg|first5=Chris|last5=Maier|first6=William L.|last6=Coulbourne|s2cid=7842905|journal=Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society|doi=10.1175/BAMS-D-11-00006.1|pages=641–653|title=Tornado Intensity Estimation: Past, Present, and Future|date=May 2013|volume=94|issue=5|issn=0003-0007|eissn=1520-0477|bibcode=2013BAMS...94..641E|doi-access=free}}</ref>

According to the [[World Meteorological Organization]] in 2017, the tornado killed roughly 1,300 people and injured 12,000.<ref name="aj28Apr2014" /> In 2022, this death toll was challenged in a paper authored by Dr. Fahim Sufi with the [[Australian Government]], Dr. Edris Alam with the [[University of Chittagong]], and Dr. Musleh Alsulami with the [[Umm al-Qura University]], where it was stated the deadliest tornado in Bangladesh history was the 14 April 1969 Dhaka, Bangladesh tornado, which killed 922 people.<ref name="2023 Sustainability">{{cite journal|author1=Fahim Sufi|author2=Edris Alam|author3=Musleh Alsulami|editor1-last=Ishizaka|editor1-first=Alessio|title=A New Decision Support System for Analyzing Factors of Tornado Related Deaths in Bangladesh|journal=Sustainability|date=22 May 2022|volume=14|issue=10|page=6303|doi=10.3390/su14106303|url=https://www.academia.edu/84087463|access-date=12 August 2023|publisher=Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute|doi-access=free}}</ref> This new publication stills keeps a Bangladesh tornado as the deadliest in history, just not this specific tornado.<ref name="2023 Sustainability"/> Damage was extensive, as countless trees were uprooted and every home within a six square kilometer area of the tornado's path was completely destroyed.<ref name="finch"/> An article in the ''Bangladesh Observer'' stated, "The devastation was so complete, that barring some skeletons of trees, there were no signs of standing infrastructures".<ref name="finch"/> Approximately 80,000 people were left homeless.<ref name="Cerveny" /> A second tornado struck the [[Narsingdi District]], killing 5&nbsp;people and injuring 500&nbsp;others.<ref name="aj28Apr2014" />

== See also ==
{{Portal|Weather}}
* [[List of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks]]
* [[List of Asian tornadoes and tornado outbreaks]]
* [[Tri-State Tornado]] – The deadliest tornado recorded in the United States
* [[1996 Bangladesh tornado]]
* [[2013 Brahmanbaria tornado]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://bangladeshtornadoes.org Bangladesh and East India tornado prediction site]

{{1989 tornado outbreaks}}
{{10 deadliest tornadoes worldwide}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Daulatpur-Saturia tornado}}
[[Category:Tornadoes in Asia]]
[[Category:Weather events in Bangladesh]]
[[Category:Tornadoes of 1989]]
[[Category:1989 in Bangladesh]]
[[Category:April 1989 events in Bangladesh]]
[[Category:1989 disasters in Asia]]