Fujita Tornado Damage Scale

Significant and Catastrophic Flooding in the Pacific Northwest; Very Cold Temperatures in the Northern Plains

The atmospheric river over the Pacific Northwest will begin to subside today, but lingering rainfall will exacerbate ongoing catastrophic major river flooding, and landslides will continue across portions of western Washington and northwest Oregon for several days. Arctic air will plummet southward into the Northern Plains today, bringing cold air in the single digits to the region by Friday. Read More >

The Fujita Tornado Damage Scale

The Fujita Tornado Scale, usually referred to as the F-Scale, classifies tornadoes based on the resulting damage. This scale was developed by Dr. T. Theodore Fujita (University of Chicago) in 1971.

F-SCALE	WINDS	TYPE OF DAMAGE	FREQUENCY
F0	40-72 mph 64-116 km/h	MINIMAL DAMAGE: Some damage to chimneys, TV antennas, roof shingles, trees, and windows.	29%
F1	73-112 mph 117-180 km/h	MODERATE DAMAGE: Automobiles overturned, carports destroyed, trees uprooted.	40%
F2	113-157 mph 181-253 km/h	MAJOR DAMAGE: Roofs blown off homes, sheds and outbuildings demolished, mobile homes overturned.	24%
F3	158-206 mph 254-332 km/h	SEVERE DAMAGE: Exterior walls and roofs blown off homes. Metal buildings collapsed or are severely damaged. Forests and farmland flattened.	6%
F4	207-260 mph 333-418 km/h	DEVASTATING DAMAGE: Few walls, if any, standing in well-built homes. Large steel and concrete missiles thrown far distances.	2%
F5	261-318 mph 419-512 km/h	INCREDIBLE DAMAGE: Homes leveled with all debris removed. Schools, motels, and other larger structures have considerable damage with exterior walls and roofs gone. Top stories demolished.	less than 1%

F-SCALE

WINDS

TYPE OF DAMAGE

FREQUENCY

40-72 mph
64-116 km/h

MINIMAL DAMAGE: Some damage to chimneys, TV antennas, roof shingles, trees, and windows.

29%

73-112 mph
117-180 km/h

MODERATE DAMAGE: Automobiles overturned, carports destroyed, trees uprooted.

40%

113-157 mph
181-253 km/h

MAJOR DAMAGE: Roofs blown off homes, sheds and outbuildings demolished, mobile homes overturned.

24%

158-206 mph
254-332 km/h

SEVERE DAMAGE: Exterior walls and roofs blown off homes. Metal buildings collapsed or are severely damaged. Forests and farmland flattened.

207-260 mph
333-418 km/h

DEVASTATING DAMAGE: Few walls, if any, standing in well-built homes. Large steel and concrete missiles thrown far distances.

261-318 mph
419-512 km/h

INCREDIBLE DAMAGE: Homes leveled with all debris removed. Schools, motels, and other larger structures have considerable damage with exterior walls and roofs gone. Top stories demolished.

less than 1%

This scale courtesy of University of Wisconsin-Madison's Cooperate Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies