Enhanced Fujita scale facts for kids
The Enhanced Fujita scale is a tornado category scale used to measure tornadoes in the United States and Canada by how bad their damage is. The National Weather Service started using it on February 1, 2007 and in Canada in April 2013. The weakest tornadoes on this scale are classified EF0, and the strongest storms are classified EF5. The scale replaces the old Fujita scale in America. Tornadoes under EF5 label represent winds of 200 miles an hour or stronger. No tornadoes in the United States that happened before February 1, 2007 will have their ratings changed to the new scale.
| Scale | Wind speed (Estimated) |
Example of damage | ||
| mph | km/h | |||
| EFU | Unknown | Unknown | No damage
Short for "EF-Unknown." The tornado doesn't hit anything, so there is no damage to tell how strong it is, or nobody can get to the damage to rate it. |
N/A |
| EF0 | 65–85 | 104–137 | Small damage.
Some damage to chimneys; branches broken off trees; sign boards damaged; some singles blown off. |
 |
| EF1 | 86–110 | 138–177 | Medium damage.
Badly peels surface off roofs; mobile homes pushed or rolled over; moving cars and trucks pushed off the roads; garages may be destroyed. |
 |
| EF2 | 111–135 | 178–217 | Fairly bad damage.
Roofs come off frame houses; mobile homes destroyed; big trees snapped or uprooted. |
 |
| EF3 | 136–165 | 218–266 | Bad damage.
Roofs and some walls come off well-made houses; trains rolled over; most trees in forest uprooted; skyscrapers twisted and messed up; heavy cars lifted off the ground and thrown. |
 |
| EF4 | 166–200 | 267–322 | Very bad damage.
Well-made houses leveled; buildings and other things with weak foundations blown away very far; skyscrapers and highrises destroyed. |
 |
| EF5 | >200 | >322 | Worst damage.
Strong frame houses lifted off foundations and thrown very far away which are soon destroyed; trees debarked; strong steel concrete structures badly damaged. |
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See also
In Spanish: Escala Fujita mejorada para niños
