(COLORADO) — Southern Colorado has had several severe weather days over the last couple of weeks, with even some days having chances for tornadoes. With that in mind, there are several myths concerning where tornadoes can and can not go.

Myth #1: Tornadoes can’t happen over cities

Answer: False. If the all the ingredients come together in the atmosphere, a tornado can definitely happen over a city. In fact, a good example here in Colorado is the EF1 tornado that happened in 2023 over Highlands Ranch, which is a heavily populated suburb of Denver. The tornado formed over the area, traveled over houses and businesses, and eventually dissipated near I-25.

Myth #2: Tornadoes don’t happen over mountains or the mountains protect us from having tornadoes

Answer: False. Again if the ingredients in the atmosphere all come together, a tornado does not discriminate if it is over a mountain, the plains, a town, or a city. An example is the EF1 tornado that happened in 2023 over Pikes Peak.

Myth #3: Tornadoes can not cross bodies of water

Answer: False. Once more, tornadoes can form as long as everything in the air comes together. If a funnel forms over water and then touches down in water (it doesn’t matter if it is a lake or an ocean), it is called a waterspout. If a tornado first forms on land and then moves into the water it is called a tornadic waterspout.