The Fujita scale

Storm Data, April, 2005

Typical F0 Tornado Damage

Note the trees are stripped of leaves, but the trees remain standing. Only light roof damage and a few missing shingles.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Typical F1 Tornado Damage

Note the uprooted trees and missing shingles from the roof. There is significant roof damage.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Typical F2 Tornado Damage

This home is missing it's entire roof but the exterior walls remain intact. Some of the stronger hardwood trees remain standing.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Typical F4 Tornado Damage

This home is almost completely obliterated, with no walls standing. The debris from the home is where the house once stood.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Typical F5 Tornado Damage

The asphalt surface has been peeled off of this road.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Typical F3 Tornado Damage

This home is missing the entire roof as well as some of the exterior walls. Trees are blown over or snapped near the base and outbuildings are destroyed.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Typical F5 Tornado Damage

These homes have been completely removed from their original locations. The debris field has been scattered some distance from their foundation.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

(All photographs courtesy of Brian Smith, Meteorologist, I National Weather Service, Valley NE.)

The Fujita Scale

F-Scale     Intensity     Wind Speed     Typical Damage (Suggested)
                            (mph)

  FO       Gale Tornado     40-72      Tree branches broken, chimneys
                                       damaged, shallow-rooted trees
                                       pushed over; sign boards
                                       damaged or destroyed,
                                       outbuildings and sheds
                                       destroyed

  Fl         Moderate      73-112      Roof surfaces peeled off,
                                       mobile homes pushed off
                                       foundations or overturned,
                                       moving autos pushed off
                                       the roads, garages may be
                                       destroyed.

                                       Category 1-2 hurricane
                                       wind speed

  F2       Significant    113-157      Roofs blown off frame houses;
                                       mobile homes rolled and/or
                                       destroyed, train boxcars
                                       pushed over; large trees
                                       snapped or uprooted; airborn
                                       debris can cause damage.

                                       Category 3-4 hurricane
                                       wind speed

  F3         Severe       158-206      Roofs and walls torn off
                                       well constructed houses;
                                       trains overturned; large
                                       trees uprooted, can knock
                                       down entire forest of trees.

                                       Category 5 hurricane wind
                                       speed

  F4      Devastating     207-260      Well-constructed frame houses
                                       leveled; structures with weak
                                       foundations blown off some
                                       distance; automobiles thrown,
                                       large airborn objects can
                                       cause significant damage.

  F5     Incredible       261-318      Brick, stone and cinderblock
                                       buildings destroyed, most
                                       debris is carried away by
                                       tornadic winds, large and
                                       heavy objects can be hurled
                                       in excess of 100 meters,
                                       trees debarked, asphalt
                                       peeled off of roads,
                                       steel reinforced concrete
                                       structures badly damaged.

  F6    Inconceivable     319-379      These winds are very unlikely.
                                       The small area of damage they
                                       might produce would probably
                                       not be recognizable along
                                       with the damage produced by F4
                                       and F5 wind speeds that would
                                       surround the F6 winds.