Tornado intensity
(Section 3.2.1.5.6)The strength of a tornado can be estimated from the degree of damage caused using the Enhanced Fujita scale given in Table 21.
Table 21. Enhanced Fujita scale for rating the intensity of tornadoes
|
Enhanced Fujita scale number |
Three second gust speed |
Damage |
|
0 |
29.2−38.1 m/s |
Minor damage: Tiles blown off or parts of a roof peeled off; damage to gutters or sidings; branches broken off trees; shallow-rooted trees toppled |
|
1 |
38.3−49.4 m/s |
Moderate damage: Significant roof damage; windows broken; exterior doors damaged or lost; mobile homes overturned or badly damaged |
|
2 |
49.7−60.6 m/s |
Considerable damage: Roofs torn off well-constructed homes; houses moved off their foundations; mobile homes completely destroyed; large trees snapped or uprooted; cars thrown in air |
|
3 |
60.8−73.9 m/s |
Severe damage: Entire storeys of well-constructed houses destroyed; significant damage to large buildings; houses with weak foundations blown away; trees begin to lose their bark |
|
4 |
74.2−89.4 m/s |
Extreme damage: Well-constructed houses demolished; cars thrown significant distances; top-storey exterior walls of masonry buildings likely collapse |
|
5 |
>89.4 m/s |
Massive/incredible damage: Well-constructed houses swept away; steel-reinforced concrete structures critically damaged; high-rise buildings sustain severe structural damage; trees usually completely debarked, stripped of branches and snapped |