can a tornado happen in a city?

Question

i know it happens in areas where its open fields or where their isnt alot of high buildings, i also live in toronto so is it even possible for a tornado to happen? And has a tornado happened in a large city before?

Answer 1

yes there is some good video footage of tornados in Salt Lake City and Miami Fl

Answer 2

A deadly tornado hit Oklahoma City in May 1999. Another strong tornado hit Nashville dead on a few years ago too. It's not out of the question for a tornado to hit urban areas and not trailer parks.

Answer 3

Yes. In the past 3-5 years there have been severe tornados in the downtown area of the following three cities that I am aware of: Nashville, Tennessee; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Fort Worth, Texas.

In each case there was a lot of damage and injury.

Most tornadoes occur in open country because most of "tornado alley" is open country.

Answer 4

Yes, it can happen in a city and yes it has happened in cities before. There is an area in the US called Tornado alley. If your in that area, there's a good chance you will experience one eventually. I grew up just outside of Detroit. Still in the Metro. Only 2 miles from the Detroit border and we had 2 tornado's form literally in the lot next to my house. We watched them form and then they skipped over our house and caused damage a little bit away. They knocked a few trees down on my block and did a little damage though. But in answer to your question, YES. They can, they will, they do, and they have happened in cities.

Answer 5

Yes, very much so. Here are some stats for tornados which have hit Canadian cities in the past from Environment Canada.

1912- Regina, SK - 28 people dead
1987- Edmonton, AB - 27 dead
1985- Barrie, ON - 8 dead, 155 injured
1946 & 1974 - Windsor, ON

Answer 6

YES!!!! I'm not mentioning other cities mentioned in previous answers...

Oklahoma City, OK
The OKC area has been struck 18 times by two or more tornadoes on the same day.
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/tornadodata/okc/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_Tornado_Outbreak

Omaha, NE
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/oax/archive/may1975/may675.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omaha_Tornado_of_1975
http://www.omaha5675.org/

St. Louis, MO
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Louis_tornado_history
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Louis-East_St._Louis_Tornado

Andover, KS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Andover%2C_Kansas_Tornado

Near Chicago, IL
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plainfield_Tornado

Jarrell, TX
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jarrell%2C_TX_Tornado

Birmingham, AL
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham_Tornado

Waco, TX
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waco_Tornado

Wichita Falls, TX
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wichita_Falls%2C_Texas_Tornado

Central Iowa
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa_Tornado_Outbreak_of_November_2005

Iowa City, IA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Weekend_2006_Tornado_Outbreak#Iowa_City_tornadoes

Milan, MI (ok, a tornado happened here in this outbreak, look at the picture!)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Sunday_Tornado_Outbreak

There's probably more...but you get the point I'm sure. These instances plus what others have wrote about SLC, BNA & DFW should clue you in that tornadoes don't avoid valleys, big cities, rivers, lakes, etc...

Answer 7

I've seen the footage of a twister or tornado in Salt Lake City, UT & one of my friends was in a tornado that hit in downtown FT Worth, TX in 2000.

Answer 8

no but it can move into a city where it will have trouble staying together, if you have ever seen "The Day After Tomorrow" the LA tornado scene was highly unrealistic but I suppose that if there ever were tornadoes that strong and large perhaps they can survive in a city...

Answer 9

We've just been very very lucky.

http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/library/eai_weath.htm

Only the largest tornado could do more than bend a skyscraper though. The largest tornado category does permanent structural damage to skyscrapers and removes the "veil" or outer rooms from hospitals.

Answer 10

I know of a huge one that hit Oklahoma City around 1999, so yes they can hit big cities. It can happen in Toronto, but the chances of it are slim.