Midnight Nashville tornado shatters tornado myths
Tornadoes occur at night, and hit downtowns
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Damage reports and tornado assessments are still coming in from last night’s Nashville tornado.
The tornado appears to have killed more than 20 people. Preliminary damage assessments from the Nashville National Weather Service estimate wind speeds of at least 150 mph and tornado intensity in the EF-3 range.
Tornado myths shattered
The deadly midnight hour tornado in Nashville shatters a few common tornado myths.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
Myth #1: Tornadoes don’t occur at night
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center reports the Nashville tornado touched down at 12:41 am local time. While it’s true that the highest tornado frequencies occur between 3 pm and 7 pm statistically, tornadoes can and do happen at any hour.
Myth #2: Tornadoes don’t hit downtowns
There are a few studies that urban heat islands may have small effects on local storms. But the notion that tornadoes don’t hit downtowns ins a myth. Many downtown areas have been hit by tornadoes including Minneapolis.
The circulation patterns in large tornadic supercells are much too big to be influenced by the urban landscape. The reason relatively few tornadoes overall hit downtowns is simply that urban areas cover a relatively small geographic footprint.
