Why don't tornados ever hit large cities?

Question

You will always hear about a big tornado hitting a town... but it's never right downtown of a huge city...

why is this?

Answer 1

atmospheric conditions are wrong. Something to do with the heat rising from the larger structures keeps the tornadoes at bay.

Answer 2

They do, but it's rare.  Salt Lake City comes to mind for a recent downtown strike.  It's not that big downtowns have some sort of protection, but simply that there aren't very many of them, as opposed to the numerous smaller cities and towns.  Thus by simple chance, a smaller town is more likely to get hit than a larger one due to the sheer numerical difference.

Answer 3

10 yrs ago a tornado went right through downtown nashville in april. 1998.  followed a 20 + mile path.  it did alot of damage.  i was in germany at the time and i read it in the newspaper over there.  it launched a wide path of destruction right through downtown and traveled east.  usually tornadoes do not form over the "heat" of a city. BUT, it does happen from time to time.

Answer 4

Actually it does happen. Much like there used to be thim myth that a tornado wouldn't cross a river....but they have. The thing is, is that is doesn't happen often. That's why you say it never happens...it does just not everyday you know.

Answer 5

A town won't develop into a city if it always gets hit by tornadoes. Suppose you have Town A and Town B. Town B gets hit by tornadoes and Town A doesn't. Town A will be the one to develop into a City and Town B will remain as town because it gets hit by a devastating tornado. Get it? It's like natural selection

Answer 6

That's just a matter of statistics. Urban areas are very small compared to rural or sub-urban areas. Naturally urban areas get hit less. Cities are not immune, though. Atlanta midtown got hit about three months ago.

Answer 7

That's why they become large cities. Because it never gets destroyed.

It's random, eventually, there's always the chance it will hit a large town. I don't think there's a scientific reason why, unless those cities have pressure changes that hurt tornados entering that direction.

Answer 8

There is nothing to stop tornadoes hitting downtown of large cities.  A tornado struck New York City last year.  Wichita Falls had a tornado in its downtown.  It's just a matter of chance: in the areas where tornadoes are most prevalent, most of the land area is not in big cities, and tornadoes only cover a very small fraction of the land area.

Answer 9

They do.  Cities like Houston have been nailed.    It is just far less common,  because it is just one area.   It is the simple law of averages....

Answer 10

Tornados can happen anywhere

Answer 11

Oklahoma City was hit a few years ago.  In fact this was a good example that was made telling people "NOT" to seek shelter under Interstate overpasses.  Several people were killed by doing so.

Indianapolis was also hit a few years ago, can't remember if it was Memphis or Nashville, but they too were hit.

Answer 12

They do hit large cities.  Fort Worth took a hit in the downtown area.  Pinellas County, Florida, while not a big city, is a densely populated area.  It was hit by tornado.

The reason you don't hear about big cities getting hit is the low probability of any one area actually ever getting hit by tornado.  Most of the U.S. land area is open country.  Cities only take up a small portion of our land area.  

Most tornadoes take place in a part of the U.S. that is very lightly urbanized.  So they don't have a lot of cities to choose from.

Eventually it will happen.