Meteorologist Samantha Davies

For the first time in recorded history the city of Atlanta was hit by a tornado. This tornado was rated as an EF2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale with winds estimated between 111 mph-135 mph. Although it is rare, we saw last Friday that major cities are not immune to dangerous tornadoes. Tornadoes that do hit big cities usually get more attention from the media and they tend to cause more damage. When a tornado moves through a city versus open areas there is more material (buildings, wood, glass, cars, people… etc.) for the tornado to damage and there is more flying debris. Most deaths in a tornado are caused from the flying debris, not the actual winds.

SLIDESHOW: Atlanta Tornado Damage

Looking at all of the elements in the atmosphere we can forecast a general area of where a tornado could strike on a given day, however, the exact location of where it hits is a matter of chance. If you think about a map of the country, there is much more open space than actual downtown areas. The square mileage of a city doesn’t cover that much land when compared to the entire nation, so statically a tornado hitting a major city is lower.

In this AP photo, windows were blown out of this skyscraper as a tornado spun through downtown Atlanta.

Atlanta is now added to the list of cities that have been hit by a tornado. Here is a list of some others where a tornado tore through some part of the central business district of a major city in recent history:

Jacksonville, FL on August 12, 2004

Ft. Worth, TX on March 28, 2000

Salt Lake City, UT on August 11, 1999

Miami, FL on May 12, 1997

Houston, TX on November 16, 1993

This week I am watching a potent weather system sweeping through the country. Monday through Wednesday of this week there is a risk for severe weather with isolated tornadoes a possible outcome. Major cities at risk this week include:

Monday- Dallas, Ft. Worth, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa

Tuesday- Houston, Little Rock, Shreveport, and Memphis

Wednesday- Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh, Charleston, and Richmond