CHONGQING (China), Sept 10 – Residents of Chongqing in China were caught off guard yesterday when a sudden windstorm sent laundry flying from high-rise balconies, leading to what has been dubbed the “9/2 Chongqing underwear crisis”.
United Kingdom-based The Guardian reported gusts of up to 122 km/h scattered clothes across the city, with videos on Douyin, China’s TikTok equivalent, showing scenes of bras and underpants drifting through the air.
“I just went out, and it suddenly started to rain heavily, and underwear fell from the sky,” the report cited one resident, Ethele, who posted on social media.
The event sparked humour online, with one user joking, “Who’s going to compensate me for my emotional damage?” after losing a brand new Calvin Klein underpants.
“It’s actually quite romantic. You might even pick up your crush’s underwear while taking a walk on the street,” joked another.
The region had been experiencing extreme temperatures, prompting authorities to use cloud-seeding missiles to create rain and alleviate drought conditions.
While the cloud-seeding succeeded in bringing rain, the unexpected windstorm hit soon after, leading residents to speculate about a connection between the two events. However, officials denied any link between the cloud-seeding and the strong winds.
The hashtag “underwear crisis” quickly gained traction on social media, attracting millions of views and comments.
Another trending hashtag referred to the Chongqing Meteorological Bureau, with users joking that any work mishaps would pale in comparison to those in the bureau causing an underwear storm.
Zhang Yixuan, deputy director of the Chongqing Weather Modification Office, clarified at a press conference that the winds were due to natural convection, not the cloud-seeding efforts.
“Artificial rainfall will not cause extreme weather,” Zhang stated, defending the government’s actions.
