[Gvl_M3]

Atlanta had one go through downtown in March 2008. Luckily it was a “small” one. Lots of windows blown out, some structural damage, etc. They were able to warn far enough in advance that there weren’t many casualties.

http://www.atlantatornado.org/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chriscorrigan/2362016875/

[Atlantan]

Thanks for posting a picture of the Peachtree Westin Hotel after the tornado. Right now, two years after the tornado, every window in the hotel is being replaced.

Amazingly there was only one death caused by the Atlanta tornado. A homeless person was found a few days after the tornado buried under bricks from a collapse building.

[Moose4]

That was the one that hit while a big crowd was watching a college basketball game (SEC conference playoff I think) in the Georgia Dome or the Philips Center, I can’t remember which. I’ve seen video of the broadcast on Youtube, you can hear the roar as the tornado goes over and see the suspended lights from the roof swaying.

}:-)4

[RayChuang88]

I believe that was an F2 tornado. My concern is an F4 or F5 tornado a mile wide or more hitting a city downtown with winds over 166 mph (267 km/h). At those wind speeds, wooden frame and many steel frame buildings will be flattened, medium-sized buildings of steel and concrete will suffer a LOT of damage from flying debris, skyscrapers will have all their windows blown out and the interior suffer severe wind damage--it would be akin to being about two miles from Ground Zero of a 1 MT nuclear bomb going off when wind from the blast wave hits you.