Can a tornado occur in the city or do the skyscrapers prevent it?

Question

Can a tornado occur in the city or do the skyscrapers prevent it?

Answer 1

They can and do occur in cities as well as flat countryside though not nearly as often as there is much more land area occupied by farms and fields as there are by major cities. The following is a clip about a tornado that struck downtown Nashville 10 years ago.

Answer 2

Yes, I agree with the other answers, although it's likely to form ( wall to funnel cloud) outside city limits and then travel into a city.

Answer 3

They can, and occasionally do occur in larger cities.  The skyscrapers would have little effect, considering that the tornado circulation extends from the surface up into the storm which can be many miles in depth.

Answer 4

That is an old myth which has been dramatically proven in recent years with a tornado in Ft. Worth that sprang up inside city limits and wiped out several tall buildings downtown (blew out all windows, insulation all over the place)  Salt Lake City and Atlanta have also had tornados downtown.

Answer 5

yes. buts its very rare. tornados mainly appear in flat open spaces such as kansas. If one does occur in a city, chances are it wont last very long

Answer 6

mike mentioned what i was going to say. the ft. worth tornado came up in the middle of the city. and buildings have nothing to do with formation. it has to do with stability of the air, way higher than skyscrapers. a tornado will form and take down anything in its path, nothing will slow it down, it will disappear whenever it calms.