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Fujita scale facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
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.

F0 damage example
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.

F1 damage example
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.

F2 damage example
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.

F3 damage example
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.

F4 damage example
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.

F5 damage example

Other F0 Rated Tornadoes: Waterspout

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Escala Fujita-Pearson para niños

National Hispanic Heritage Month on Kiddle
Hispanic astronauts
Joseph M. Acaba
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George D. Zamka
John D. Olivas
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