Fujita Tornado Scale and Determining Tornado Strength
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| Fujita Force |
Damage |
Wind Speed |
Visual Clues
and Damage Effects |
F0 |
Light
(F0 photo) |
40 to 72 mph |
Some damage to chimneys. Twigs and branches broken off trees.
Shallow trees pushed over. Damage to sign boards. Some windows broken. |
F1 |
Moderate
(F1 photo) |
73 to 112 mph |
Peels surface and shingles off roofs. Mobile
homes pushed off foundations or even overturned. Outbuildings demolished. Moving automobiles
pushed off roads. Trees snapped or broken. |
F2 |
Considerable
(F2 photo) |
113 to 157 mph |
Roofs torn off frame houses. Mobile homes demolished.
Houses with weak foundations lifted and moved. Large trees snapped or uprooted.
Light objects become missiles. |
F3 |
Severe
(F3 photo) |
158 to 206 mph |
Roofs and some walls torn off well-constructed
homes. Railroad trains overturned. Heavy cars and trucks lifted and thrown
some distance. Most trees in forests are uprooted. Weak pavement blown off roads. |
F4 |
Devastating
(F4 photo) |
207 to 260 mph |
Well-constructed homes leveled. Structures with weak foundations
blown some distance. Cars thrown and disintegrated. Trees in forests uprooted and carried some
distance. |
F5 |
Incredible
(F5 photo) |
over 261 mph |
Strong frame houses lifted off foundations
and carried considerable distance and disintegrated. Cars and trucks wrapped
around large trees. Automobile-sized objects become missiles and fly in excess of 300 feet.
Trees debarked. Incredible damage and phenomena occur. |
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