KCRag Forum

KCMax wrote: Tornados don't hit urban areas.

They also don't hit communities surrounded by mountains. I currently live in Roanoke, Virginia, nestled in a valley, completely enveloped within the Blue Ridge Mountains. I've been told the mountains help stave off tornadoes, but they are still possible.

Do you suppose the tall buildings in urban areas might have the same effect, assuming there is such an effect?

KCMax wrote: Tornados don't hit urban areas.

(Humor me here. I'm on a roll.)

I don't remember the year or even the decade, but I remember some sort of weather anomaly that struck just the Plaza. It was a severe downdraft, or downspout, or something like that. I think it did substantial damage to the tennis courts. (Are they even still there? It's been a while.)

KCMax wrote: Tornados don't hit urban areas.

Just to add further refutation, downtown Indianapolis was hit by a tornado last night and at least one skyscraper suffered moderate damage.

scooterj wrote:
Just to add further refutation, downtown Indianapolis was hit by a tornado last night and at least one skyscraper suffered moderate damage.

See what happens when you have the final four?

Tornadoes won't hit urban areas... that is like one of the biggest myths out there.

As big as downtown KC, St Louis, even Chicago (for example) are... they are tiny compared to the vast expanses of rural areas surrounding them.  It's simple odds... more often than not, a cornfield is going to get torn up.  And trailer homes appear to be 'magnets', simply because the winds which just tear some shingles off of a typical suburban home... will pick up and obliterate a corrugated metal mobile home.  All this said, as has been shown... there are plenty of examples where tornadoes HAVE struck downtown areas.  Anyone have a picture of that tower in Ft Worth all boarded up?  That was classic.

Another downtown area that is tornado-proof....... oops.... apparently not.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u ... 0204031531

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u ... 0504031541

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u ... 0404031541

eomaha.com wrote: Tornadoes won't hit urban areas... that is like one of the biggest myths out there.

As big as downtown KC, St Louis, even Chicago (for example) are... they are tiny compared to the vast expanses of rural areas surrounding them.  It's simple odds... more often than not, a cornfield is going to get torn up.  And trailer homes appear to be 'magnets', simply because the winds which just tear some shingles off of a typical suburban home... will pick up and obliterate a corrugated metal mobile home.  All this said, as has been shown... there are plenty of examples where tornadoes HAVE struck downtown areas.  Anyone have a picture of that tower in Ft Worth all boarded up?  That was classic.

Yea, I wonder where people get these ideas.....in addition to Ft. Worth some famous DT tornados include Topeka (60's; large buildings were left vacant for years afterwards), Wichita Falls, Nashville (recently), Lubbock TX and I've even seen footage of one in Miami Florida.  Tornados can and will hit just about anywhere.  I once saw a tornado aloft on a hike at about 13000' in the Sangre De Cristo mountains of Colorado.  When I was in Germany last summer, a tornado struck just east of Stuttgart where we were staying.   

Highlander wrote: .  When I was in Germany last summer, a tornado struck just east of Stuttgart where we were staying.   

Highlander, you will appreciate this, when I was living in Britain several years ago they had a decent size tornado.  It didn't really damage much of anything but you would have thought armageddon was in progress the way the British press ran with the story. 

i dont know if anyone already said this, but a really f'n bad tornado hit st. louis in 1896:



http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/s ... e/1896.htm

Ft. Worth a few years back?

Ft. Worth yes... that first photo is the Bank One tower that eventually was almost entirely boarded up.  The good news is... if you hug those elevator shafts, it looks like there's a good chance for survival!  Assuming you're not cut to pieces by the glass.


While it didn't strike downtown... Omaha's 1975 F4 tornado held the record for the most property damage ($500M, 5,000 homes/buildings destroyed, 300 injured, incredibly only 3 dead) ... until the Oklahoma City tornado back in the 90's.

From the KC Library web site, some pics of damage from the tornado that hit downtown KC in the 1886...

Hannibal Bridge


Jackson County Courthouse


2nd & Main


8th & May


14th & Oak


3rd Street


Missouri Ave.


15th & Grand

Well, all of the Kansas City Metro falls under an area of High Risk for Severe Weather this evening....let's see what happens. I"ll be watching Katie Horner's weather updates from my "office", bicycle helmet at the ready. No seriously...

Tonganoxie Split strikes again!

Dan Henry, I'm tellin ya, he was on to sumpthin!

Sportster
...smarter than the average bear!

I saw my first tornado tonight! 

Also saw two funnel clouds about 15 minutes later.

scooterj wrote: I saw my first tornado tonight!   :)

Also saw two funnel clouds about 15 minutes later.

Whereabouts?

It looks like the supercell basically tracked along the same path as its big brother did back in 2003.

I knew we could be in trouble when Gary Lezak had a towercam view that showed the large, flanged cylindrical updraft lit up by the lightning.

I saw no rotation in the clouds, but the lightning was as intense as I've ever seen it. It was an eerie scene, with strobe-like flashes from all directions, but no thunder. The only sounds were the distant sirens. And low clouds were racing in toward the core. A brief shower marked the passage of the tip of the hook. As close as the circulation passed, I'm sure glad I didn't get to see an actual tornado tonight.

Here are images from some dude watching a neighboring storm near St. Joseph who did:

Gladstoner wrote: Whereabouts?

When they announced the tornado warning I did what any rational person wouldd do in a thunderstorm -- I went on the roof to have a look. 

After a few minutes I briefly spotted the backlit tornado as it touched town in the gneral direction of Riverside.    About 15 or 20 minutes later I saw two simultaneous funnel clouds in the general direction of thr 35/29 split.

scooterj wrote: When they announced the tornado warning I did what any rational person wouldd do in a thunderstorm -- I went on the roof to have a look. 

That's my man! 

I did what any rational suburbadroid would do -- I drove up the street to get a better view.