Skip to Main
The Four

Weather 101: The Enhanced Fujita Scale

The Four: Weather 101: Tornadoes - The Four: Weather 101: Tornadoes
9&10 Logo
lightning-and-tornado-hitting-village-1446076... (9and10news Site Staff) -

In this edition of Weather 101, Meteorologist Samantha Jacques explains the reasoning behind the tornado scale. We often hear forecasters say “it was an EF2 tornado” – but, what does that all mean, and how do wind speeds help categorize this weather phenomenon? Sammy has the answers.

The Enhanced Fujita Scale Explained

Tornadoes are ranked on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. This scale was developed by scientist Theodore Fujita in order to assess a tornado’s strength and damage. The Enhanced Fujita Scale ranks from EF0 to EF5. EF0 being the weakest and EF5 being the strongest. A meteorologist will head to the sight of a tornado after it occurs, assess the damage, and then rank the Tornado. Each ranking is then associated with different wind speeds. 

Here is how each scale is labeled:

  • EF0 – Mild Damage – 65 to 85 mph 
  • EF1 – Moderate Damage – 86 to 110mph
  • EF2 – Considerable Damage – 111 to 135 mph
  • EF3 – Severe Damage – 136 to 165 mph 
  • EF4 – Extreme Damage – 166 to 200 mph 
  • EF5 – Incredible Damage – 200+ 

When a tornado watch or warning is issued it is critical that one takes shelter. The safest place is in a basement, but if you do not have a basement head to the most interior room in your home with no windows. Always make sure to multiple ways to receive alerts. Some options are your cell phone, sirens, television, or weather radio.  

 

9&10 Logo
Weather 101: The Enhanced Fujita Scale (9and10news Site Staff) - Weather 101: The Enhanced Fujita Scale

Local Trending News

Logo

Looks like your ad blocker is on.

×

We rely on ads to keep creating quality content for you to enjoy for free.

Please support our site by disabling your ad blocker.

Continue without supporting us

Choose your Ad Blocker

  • Adblock Plus
  • Adblock
  • Adguard
  • Ad Remover
  • Brave
  • Ghostery
  • uBlock Origin
  • uBlock
  • UltraBlock
  • Other
  1. In the extension bar, click the AdBlock Plus icon
  2. Click the large blue toggle for this website
  3. Click refresh
  1. In the extension bar, click the AdBlock icon
  2. Under "Pause on this site" click "Always"
  1. In the extension bar, click on the Adguard icon
  2. Click on the large green toggle for this website
  1. In the extension bar, click on the Ad Remover icon
  2. Click "Disable on This Website"
  1. In the extension bar, click on the orange lion icon
  2. Click the toggle on the top right, shifting from "Up" to "Down"
  1. In the extension bar, click on the Ghostery icon
  2. Click the "Anti-Tracking" shield so it says "Off"
  3. Click the "Ad-Blocking" stop sign so it says "Off"
  4. Refresh the page
  1. In the extension bar, click on the uBlock Origin icon
  2. Click on the big, blue power button
  3. Refresh the page
  1. In the extension bar, click on the uBlock icon
  2. Click on the big, blue power button
  3. Refresh the page
  1. In the extension bar, click on the UltraBlock icon
  2. Check the "Disable UltraBlock" checkbox
  1. Please disable your Ad Blocker
  2. Disable any DNS blocking tools such as AdGuardDNS or NextDNS

If the prompt is still appearing, please disable any tools or services you are using that block internet ads (e.g. DNS Servers).