Aug 19, 2009 10:38 pm US/Central
Good Question: How Often Do Tornadoes Hit Cities?
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ―
When an apparent tornado hit parts of South Minneapolis, many WCCO viewers were surprised that a tornado could hit a city. How often do tornadoes hit cities?
"It's rare, but it happens," said WCCO-TV Meteorologist Mike Augustyniak. In 2008, a tornado blew out windows in hotel skyscrapers in downtown Atlanta. An EF 2 tornado caused extensive damage in 2007 in Brooklyn, New York.
However, the last tornado to hit Minneapolis was in 1981. It is extremely rare.
"Most of the major cities on the East Coast aren't prone to tornadoes," said Augustyniak. "Think of 'Tornado Alley' in the Midwest. There are very few large cities, and they're all spread out."
This is more of a factor of simple geography than it is of meteorology. Tornadoes don't play favorites on rural or urban areas, but there's so much more rural land, the odds of a tornado hitting a farm field are far greater than hitting a downtown urban core.
The Minnesota Historical Society has records of a 1904 tornado.
In 1951, a tornado hit Richfield and Minneapolis, killing 5.
According to the State Climatologist, Minnesota averages 25 tornadoes a year. Virtually none of those tornadoes hit cities.
Also, the idea that the urban heat island pushes tornadoes out to the outer areas is false, according to Augustyniak. And a recent NASA report suggests that the warming of urban areas may actually lead to more tornados in our cities.
Other Recent Urban Tornados:
2001: Washington, D.C.
2000: Fort Worth, Texas
1999: Salt Lake City, Utah; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Cincinnati, Ohio
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Northstar Opens Despite Efforts To Block
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
