What is the Fujita scale of rating tornadoes?

AccuWeather Meteorologist Tony Laubach goes into the history of the Fujita scale of rating tornadoes and the upgraded scale derived from it.

Transcript

00:00Whoever's stairs get kicked out of them, I know that.

00:04The strength of a tornado cannot be determined just by looking at it, and they can destroy

00:08just about any unprotected weather instrument placed in their path, making obtaining accurate

00:12wind speed measurements very difficult.

00:15Mobile Doppler radar has led to better wind speed measurements in recent years, but that

00:19is only a very small sample size compared to the total number of tornadoes recorded.

00:23The only consistent measurement with tornadoes is their aftermath.

00:27After writing a research paper in college, Dr. Theodore Fujita introduced the Fujita

00:31Scale in 1971, revealing how tornadoes rank in terms of damage.

00:36The scale was designed to categorize tornadoes based on intensity of damage, and to estimate

00:40wind speed based on the damage left behind.

00:42The Fujita Scale ranked tornadoes anywhere from F0, meaning the wind speeds are less

00:46than 73 mph with minor damage, all the way to F5, with wind speeds greater than 261 mph

00:53with an immense amount of damage.

00:55In 2007, the Enhanced Fujita Scale replaced the Fujita Scale.

00:59This updated version reflected more accurate tornado damage surveys, and aligned wind speed

01:03estimates more closely with the actual destruction observed.

01:07The EF Scale ranges from EF0, indicating minor damage, to EF5, representing total devastation.

01:13The new scale focuses on how various structures are designed, examining specific points known

01:18as damage indicators to better estimate the wind speeds required to cause that type of

01:22damage.

01:23However, one limitation of the EF Scale is that the tornado must cause a specific level

01:28of damage to be rated.

01:29Many powerful tornadoes occur in rural or unpopulated areas, meaning they often receive

01:34lower ratings because they don't affect buildings or structures that would provide clear evidence

01:38of their strength.

01:39For AccuWeather, I'm meteorologist Tony Laubach.