Fujita scale facts for kids
| Fujita scale | ||||||
| F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 | |
The Fujita scale is a scale used for rating tornado strength, based on the damage tornadoes cause on human-built buildings and vegetation. The official Fujita scale category is determined by meteorologists (and engineers) after a ground and/or aerial damage inspection; also including analysis of available sources such as eyewitness accounts and damage images and/or videos. It was replaced with the Enhanced Fujita scale in the United States in February 2007.
| Scale | Wind speed* | Relative frequency | Common Damage Path Width (meters) | Example of Damage | ||
| mph | km/h | |||||
| F0 | 40–72 | 64–116 | 38.9% | 10 - 50 | Small damage.
Some damage to chimneys; branches broken off trees; sign boards damaged. |
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| F1 | 73–112 | 117–180 | 35.6% | 30 - 150 | Medium damage.
The lower limit is the beginning of hurricane wind speed; peels surface off roofs; mobile homes pushed or rolled over; moving cars and trucks pushed off the roads; garages may be destroyed. |
 |
| F2 | 113–157 | 181–253 | 19.4% | 110 - 250 | Fairly bad damage.
Roofs come off frame houses; mobile homes destroyed; big trees snapped or uprooted. |
 |
| F3 | 158–206 | 254–332 | 4.9% | 200 - 500 | Bad damage.
Roofs and some walls come off well-made houses; trains rolled over; most trees in forest uprooted; skyscrapers twisted and damaged; heavy cars lifted off the ground and thrown. |
 |
| F4 | 207–260 | 333–418 | 1.1% | 400 - 900 | Very bad damage.
Well-made houses leveled; buildings and other things with weak foundations blown away very far; skyscrapers and highrises destroyed. |
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| F5 | 261–318 | 419–512 | <0.1% | 1100 ~ | Worst damage.
Strong frame houses lifted off foundations and thrown very far away which are soon destroyed; trees debarked; strong reinforced concrete structures badly damaged. |
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Other F0 Rated Tornadoes: Waterspout
See also
In Spanish: Escala Fujita-Pearson para niños
