Selected tornadoes which have hit some part of the central business district of a major city.
CITY | DATE | DEATHS | PEAK DAMAGE |
Nashville TN | 3 March 2020 | 5 | EF3 |
Tampa FL | 26 February 2013 | 0 | EF0 |
Springfield MA | 1 June 2011 | 3 | EF3 |
Raleigh NC | 16 April 2011 | 6 | EF3 |
Huntsville AL | 21 January 2010 | 0 | EF2 |
Minneapolis MN | 19 August 2009 | 0 | EF0 |
Shreveport LA | 9 April 2009 | 0 | EF2 |
Atlanta GA | 14 March 2008 | 1 | EF2 |
Des Moines IA | 2 October 2007 | 0 | EF1 |
Fort Worth TX | 28 March 2000 | 2 | F2 |
Salt Lake City UT | 11 August 1999 | 1 | F2 |
Little Rock AR | 21 January 1999 | 3 | F3 |
Nashville TN | 16 Apr 1998 | 1 | F3 |
Miami FL | 12 May 1997 | 0 | F1 |
Houston TX | 16 November 1993 | 0 | F1 |
Shreveport/Bossier City LA | 3 December 1978 | 2 | F4 |
Shreveport LA | 17 April 1978 | 0 | F2 |
Lubbock TX | 11 May 1970 | 26* | F5 |
St. Louis MO | 10 February 1959 | 21 | F4 |
Waco TX | 11 May 1953 | 114 | F5 |
Charleston SC | 29 September 1938 | 27 | F2 |
Nashville TN | 14 Mar 1933 | 15 | F3 |
Indianapolis IN | 18 May 1927 | 2 | F3 |
St. Louis MO | 29 September 1927 | 79 | F3 |
St. Louis MO | 27 May 1896 | 255 | F4 |
Dallas TX | 20 January 1894 | 1 | F2 |
Louisville KY | 27 March 1890 | 76 | F4 |
Washington DC | 16 Sep 1888 | 0 | F2 |
Kansas City MO | 13 May 1883 | 3 | F2 |
St. Louis MO | 8 March 1871 | 9 | F3 |
NOTES:
This is just a partial list of tornadoes in the "downtown" areas of major cities -- here defined as the central business district. This does not include city tornadoes outside immediate downtowns. Tornadoes such as Dallas (2 April 1957), San Antonio (23 February 2017), Mobile (25 December 2012), Oklahoma City (3 May 1999) or Worcester (9 June 1953) which hit the city away from downtown are not included. Neither are tornadoes which hit major suburbs such as Chicago's Oak Lawn (21 April 1967), Moore, Oklahoma (several occasions) or Kansas City's Ruskin Heights (20 May 1957).
*The Lubbock death toll is given as 26 in NCDC records (Storm Data) and 28 according to a tally by Fujita, used in Grazulis (1993).
Fatality tallies are for entire tornado track, not downdown areas specifically.