Why don't Tornados hit large cities? or Urban areas?

Question

Well lately all summer there has been Tornado sirens going off in my part of the country (Midwest) and I was wondering why they even bother sounding them when I live in a rather large city/urban area when tornados never hit. You always hear about them hitting in sparse small towns but never near tall buildings or suburban homes-why is this?

Answer 1

Because Of All The Buildings You ARTARD

Answer 2

they have a hard time forming in the crowed areas unlike in the country were they have a lot more space to form

Answer 3

remember the Oklahoma City tornado on May 3, 1999?

Answer 4

Atlanta had one

Answer 5

They can, its just that big cities are much smaller targets than you think. I was in a tornado in downtown Cleveland, it was insane. Yeah, but its because the U.S. is mostly rural.

Answer 6

They wouldn't be large cities in the first place if they get hit by tornadoes all the time.

Answer 7

Tornadoes don't typically hit large cities or urban areas because of all of the buildings. On occasion, they will hit a large city, but its not very commmon.

They tend to touch down in open areas, because the airflow or something is easier to get at, instead of congested places like cities.

Answer 8

Well, one DID hit downtoan Fort Worth, TX in 2000.  Demolished a couple of high-rises and an office building or two.  I'm sure there are other examples, but that's the only one I can remember off the top of my head.

Answer 9

That is an urban myth, they can and they have.

Answer 10

They do.  I live in Kansas City....you haven't seen anything until you've seen a twister tear through a car dealership...

Answer 11

idk about the urban areas but for the large cities they dont hit there because there isn't any open space or alot of oxygen for them to start

Answer 12

Because Tornadoes are racist

Answer 13

What about Katrina? it hit towns in Texas as well as New Orleans.

Answer 14

Because there are not many big cities in the midwest where tornados are prone.

Answer 15

"It is a common - and definitely false - myth that tornadoes do not strike downtown areas. The odds are much lower due to the small areas covered, but paths can go anywhere - including over downtown areas. St. Louis, Missouri has taken a direct hit four times in less than a century[1] and Windsor, Ontario, Canada was also struck three times in 50 years. Many of the tornadoes listed were extremely destructive or caused numerous casualties, and the occurrence of a catastrophic event somewhere is inevitable"

My source also has a list of major cities that have had their downtown areas hit by tornadoes.

Another note.. I, personally, have gone through two tornadoes in Arlington, Texas which is a major part of the Dallas Metroplex.  The tornado sirens were very helpful.

Answer 16

Tornadoes DO strike large cities.

A tornado pretty much destroyed a skyscraper in downtown Fort Worth, TX a few years ago.  Tornadoes have struck the center of most large cities at some point in their history, including Oklahoma City, Saint Louis, Chicago, New York City, Albuquerque, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, Boston, and many others.

However, think of it this way:  the downtown core of an urban area is very small.  Here's an example:

Dallas County, Texas is 880 square miles.

20% is low density (rural, lakes)—180 square miles

67% is moderate density (suburban)—596 square miles

12% is high density (urban)—100 square miles

1% is core density (skyscrapers)—4 square miles

There is over 10,000 square miles of mostly empty countryside in the north Texas region.  So, the probability of a tornado striking Dallas County is already low.  It's more likely to hit out in the country.

If a tornado did strike Dallas County, it will most likely strike a suburban area (like it did in 1993), with a probability of about 67%.  There is about a 12% probability it will strike the urban part of the county (like it did in 1957).  However, there is only a 1% probability a tornado will strike the skyscrapers downtown (hasn't happened yet, but it did happen next door in Fort Worth in 2000).