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Winter Storm to Track From the West Coast Across the Upper Midwest & Northeast Through this Weekend

A Pacific storm will bring strong winds, heavy rain, and mountain snow from the Sierras to Rockies on Friday. The storm will then track east through the Midwest producing heavy snow from the Dakotas to the Great Lakes on Saturday. An icy wintry mix is expected across the northern Mid-Atlantic states Saturday night. Heavy snow will likely impact the Northeast Saturday night into Sunday. 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%

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