St. Louis Should Be Very Worried About Tornadoes, New Study Finds

The Great Cyclone of 1896 killed at least 255 people after tearing through a broad swath of Lafayette Square, Compton Heights and Mill Creek Valley. More than a century later, it's still the third deadliest tornado in U.S. history.

But the risk of tornadoes isn't just in the past, as the twister that hit St. Louis Lambert International Airport in 2011 should have made clear. In fact, a new study finds that St. Louis city and St. Louis County rank in the top 10 most vulnerable areas to tornadoes around the nation — with the city ranking No. 4 and the county No. 10. With temps set to plunge tonight from unseasonably hot to unseasonably cold — perfect tornado weather — we all ought to be very afraid.

The study comes from Roofgnome.com, which is admittedly a funny name, but the methodology seems to track. Researchers looked at 946 counties around the U.S. assessed by FEMA as having "relatively moderate" to "very high" tornado risk.

They then examined each county on three different metrics: the frequency of tornadoes, the financial risk (the bigger and more affluent the area, the more it has to lose) and finally "exacerbating factors."

In this third category, the study notes, Missouri, Kansas and Illinois stand out: "These states have many older homes and have not adopted current building standards from the International Residential Code and International Building Code. Building codes — like stronger roofs, safe rooms, and impact-resistant windows — help increase structural resilience against extreme weather events."

So we've got a high risk that another massive twister could sweep through town. We've got a high enough population that we have a lot to lose. And then not only do we have a lot of historic homes, but our lawmakers have failed to mandate the kind of building standards that could help keep newer ones safe from a tornado's mighty power.

In short, we're basically sitting ducks.

See below for the study's top 10 most vulnerable counties. And then try not to freak out:


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