# Do the Mississippi River Bluffs Protect Memphis from Tornadoes?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-mississippi-river-bluffs-protect-memphis-from-tornadoes/173431>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 6, 2003, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-mississippi-river-bluffs-protect-memphis-from-tornadoes/173431 "2003-05-06T16:19:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-mississippi-river-bluffs-protect-memphis-from-tornadoes/173431/1 "2003-05-06T16:19:35Z")

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The severe storms of the last couple of days have left Memphis untouched while some places close by, like Jackson, TN, northern Mississippi, Blytheville and Jonesboro, Arkansas, and locales in the bootheel of Missouri, got clocked pretty badly. It’s Memphis lore that the bluffs along the Mississippi river upon which the city was founded protect the city from tornadoes. The theory goes that winds carrying severe thunderstorms race along the flat delta of Western Arkansas until they are deflected to the north and south by the river and the bluffs on the Tennessee side, or upwards to fall on the flatter, less-well protected eastern suburbs of Germantown and Collierville, ten miles away. Indeed, Memphis proper rarely sees as severe weather as those places. And just last night a large cell could be seen on the radar headed directly for metro Memphis only to swerve south and dump on Desoto county.

Meteorologically inclined Dopers, does this sound plausable? Is there any science supporting this theory, or has Memphis just been lucky?

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**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-mississippi-river-bluffs-protect-memphis-from-tornadoes/173431/2 "2003-05-06T18:00:14Z")

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IANAMeteorologist

We were often told this about Chattanooga - that the mountains around would keep tornadoes out. I now hear the same thing in Knoxville.

But from [the Tornado project](http://www.tornadoproject.com/myths/myths.htm#top) - next to last question (#2)

> [@](#):
>
> Topography may have some influence, but protection is not one of them. Weak tornadoes may damage hilltops. But well-formed, mature tornadoes may actually stretch themselves into valleys and intensify. During this vortex stretching, the funnel diameter may shrink in diameter and the tornado will spin even more rapidly. This is hardly what one would call protection for buildings in a valley.

If you go to [this page](http://www.tornadoproject.com/alltorns/tntorn.htm#S) on the same site, you can get a listing of tornadoes that have occurred in Shelby County.