When you think of tornado-prone places, the South, Plains or Midwest in spring may first pop in your head.
But on Aug. 11, 1999, 26 years ago today, a strong tornado tore through the heart of Salt Lake City, Utah, in just 10 minutes during a weekday lunch hour.
Along its 3- to 4-mile path, the twister blew out windows at the Delta Center — home to the NBA’s Utah Jazz — and destroyed a tent set up outside the arena for a convention, where the only death occurred.
The tornado then sheared off a crane, heavily damaged a hotel and tore through the city’s Capitol Hill district. Three hundred buildings were damaged and 800 trees were either damaged or destroyed by the F2 tornado, according to the National Weather Service…