Are cities less likely to get hit by tornadoes than rural areas?

Answer 1

Yes, cities are much less likely to get hit by tornadoes than rural areas because cities are much smaller than rural areas. (On the other hand, when they do get hit, urban damage is more likely to be reported.) A city probably is just as likely to be hit as the same size rural area next to it, but some people speculate the heat island effect might have some influence. Note that St. Louis (1871, 1896, 1927, 1959, 2007), Salt Lake City (1999), Fort Worth (2000) and of course Greensburg KS (2007) among others have been hit by tornadoes.

Although tornados are less likely to hit a metro area there are some notable Metro Strikes at this link http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/downtown.html

Cities are just as likely to be hit by a tornado, but it depends where the thunderstorm is. If it is headed to your city and it is a supercell, then a tornado has as good a chance as any to form as it would in a field. It all depends on how strong the thunderstorm is.