'Dangerous myth': Despite what people say, tornadoes do hit cities. Here's why.

The storm that produced multiple tornadoes and killed more than 20 people across Middle Tennessee early Tuesday morning is a devastating reminder that tornadoes can strike anywhere — not just fields and plains.

The common misconception that tornadoes don't hit big cities puts lives at risk, said Cody Kirkpatrick, a lecturer in Indiana University's Earth and Atmospheric Sciences department.

"The idea that tornadoes do not hit cities is a dangerous myth," he said, "and I think it leads many people into a false sense of security."

There are a few factors that contribute to this perception, he said. One may be that we tend to associate tornadoes with the U.S. Southern Plains because of how often we see video and images of those storms on social media and television. Another is the ratio of rural to urban areas across the U.S.

"If you compare cities to all the rural areas and farmland in the U.S., cities don't take up much space," he said. "So, the odds of a city being directly hit are pretty low."

This isn't the first time a tornado has torn through Music City. More than 300 buildings in downtown Nashville were damaged on April 16, 1998, when the city was hit by two of the 10 tornadoes that carved through Middle Tennessee. 

In the last five years, New Orleans, Dayton and Dallas have experienced deadly tornadoes. The city of Joplin, Missouri, has a population of about 50,600 and was decimated by an EF-5 tornado in 2011. 

Weather scientists use the Enhanced Fujita Scale to measure a tornado's strength by using observed damage to estimate wind speeds. EF-0 tornadoes top out at 85 mph, while the EF-5 tops out at 200. (As of Tuesday afternoon, National Weather Service teams assessing the area said they found damage associated with an EF-2 and EF-3. It was still unclear if that damage was caused by one or several tornadoes.)

And the Indianapolis metro area has seen its fair share of tornadic activity. Between 1952 and 2019, the Weather Service recorded 47 tornadoes in Marion County, two of which happened just last summer.

On June 15, 2019, an EF-1 tornado caused roof damage and destroyed classrooms at Beech Grove High School. A few minutes later, an EF-0 damaged trees and outbuildings near Brookville Road and East Raymond Street. 

Overnight tornadoes, like the one that hit Nashville on Tuesday, can be some of the most deadly. Nationally, the average lead time — the span between a warning and when a tornado occurs — is 10 to 15 minutes, Kirkpatrick said. But when people are asleep, they're less likely to be aware of or react to a warning as quickly as they might during the day.

"The amount of time that you have to react is reduced when you have to wake up and realize what's going on and then go get to shelter," he said. 

Kirkpatrick said every home should have a NOAA Weather Radio — a nationwide, 24-hour network broadcasting weather alerts as they happen — and residents should ensure their phones are charged so they can receive wireless emergency alerts. 

Tornado myths vs. reality

As severe weather season approaches, we asked Kirkpatrick to debunk a few other tornado myths.

1. Opening your windows equalizes the pressure in your house, decreasing the potential for damage: False.

"By the time that the pressure difference would matter, the tornado is so close to your house that the winds have probably already blown off the roof," he said. "Spend the time getting your family to your safe place instead of running around the house, trying to open all the windows."

2. If you're on the highway when a tornado strikes, take shelter beneath an overpass or bridge: False.

Think of it this way: "If you put your thumb over the end of a garden hose, the water comes out faster," he said. "When the wind blows underneath the overpass, it funnels in and gets faster for the same reason."

3. If you're outside without shelter, take refuge in a ditch or low-lying area: Only as a last resort. 

It's best not to go outside in severe weather, he said, but if you do find yourself caught in this situation, "get as low and as close to the ground as you can." Bottom line: always take shelter inside a structure, if possible.

4. You can always see and hear a tornado before it hits: False.

Nashville's tornado proves you don't always know when a tornado is coming. "There are only a couple of photos of that tornado and they were back-lit by lightning," he said. "Without lightning, there would have been almost no way to know where that tornado was relative to your location." 

5. Tornadoes only form on flat land and don't travel across water and hills: F

"Rivers do not deter tornadoes," he said, "and violent tornadoes do not care if it is hilly or flat — they will keep plowing along, regardless of what is on the ground."

Call IndyStar reporter Holly Hays at 317-444-6156. Follow her on Twitter: @hollyvhays.