What Is The Fujita Scale?
The Fujita scale was used to measure the strength of tornadoes. Although technically outdated, according to meteorologists and scientists in Canada and America, it is still in use in everyday conversation in both countries. It was created by Japanese-American meteorologist Ted Fujita. It was used accurately in the movie Twister to explain the strength of tornadoes to uninitiated audience members.
It measured tornadoes, with the weakest being an F0, and the strongest ranking given an F5. Although the theoretical idea of an F6 was proposed, and officially described as ‘inconceivable’ by Fujita, no tornado has officially been given the rating. Higher ratings are much more rare, with over 40% of tornadoes being ranked as an F0, and 0.1% of tornadoes being rated as an F5. Tornadoes of F3 or higher are considered “major”, and account for about 5% of total tornadoes.
The scale was created by Fujita in 1971, with mild updates made in 1973. It was then used to rank all tornadoes in the world, with previous well-known tornadoes being ranked retroactively, although these rankings could only be estimates since wind that happened in the past can’t be measured. It was used in most of the world. In February 2007, it was decommissioned in the United States and was replaced with the Enhanced Fujita Scale. Canada followed suit in April 2013, also adopting the Enhanced Fujita Scale. Other countries use other scales, such as the International Fujita Scale.
What Are The Measurements On The Fujita Scale?
There are six different official rankings on the Fujita Scale, and one unofficial one. F0 is the weakest and most common, and F5 is the rarest and most powerful.
An F0 is tame compared to other tornadoes and has winds of 64-116 km/h (40-72 mph). About 44% of all tornadoes are ranked as an F0. These tornadoes inflict relatively little damage compared to others. Large structures will generally have very little damage if any at all. Damage to chimneys, broken windows, and damage to signs, are all common damages to man-made objects, with damage to foliage, branches from trees ripped off, and small trees with shallow roots being uprooted being common forms of damage.
An F1 is more powerful and has winds of 117 to 180 km/h (73-112 mph). About 34% of all tornadoes rank as an F1. Poorly built structures, mobile homes, and other more fragile man-made objects can suffer major damage or be destroyed. Although cars will survive and F1, they can suffer damage and be “pushed” off the road and flipped over, although they will not be launched.
An F2 has a wind speed of 181-253 km/h (113-157 mph). About 16% of tornadoes are ranked as an F2, and this is where the wind speeds can start to regularly cause deaths. Mobile homes and poorly built structures are destroyed if an F2 hits them directly, and even well-built structures can sustain heavy damage. This is the level where cars are first able to be tossed off of the ground, instead of just being dragged away or flipped. Some more sturdy trees will also be damaged, with more moderate uprooting.
An F3 has winds that blow from 254-332 km/h (158-206 mph). Less than 5% of tornadoes are rated as an F3, and it is the lowest ranking that would be considered a “major” tornado, and when you look at the damage, you will see why it can make the grade for that category. It can tear away parts of almost any building, even if they are well-built. Any building that isn’t specifically built to be sturdy will likely be destroyed. Vehicles are not only lifted off the ground but also tossed into the air and launched as projectiles, landing far away from where they were picked up. It can even pick up trains. Larger trees can have bark stripped away and stand a large chance of being completely uprooted.
An F4 is absolutely terrifying, with winds of 333-418 km/h (207-260 mph). About 1% of tornadoes are powerful enough to be ranked as an F4, and these will often be the most terrifying thing someone will see in their life. Even reinforced buildings can be turned into rubble, with all vehicles, including trains and airplanes turned into projectiles with ordinary cars flung around like a toddler throwing around their toys. Even thinker trees are often snapped or uprooted, with the surviving trees still having very visible damage and debarking.
An F5 tornado is a very rare occurrence and has winds of 419-512 km/h (261-318 mph). Only about 0.1% of tornadoes reach F5 status, making them so rare that there were some years when the Fujita Scale was in use that didn’t have a single F5 tornado. Even well-built homes that were specifically built to withstand the strength of powerful tornadoes can be torn off of their foundations and ripped to shreds and the resulting debris is thrown around randomly. Even larger buildings like schools and hospitals are damaged beyond recognition. If you are unfortunate enough to have a vehicle in the path of one of these tornadoes, that vehicle will likely be launched into the air and can be launched kilometres away, even if it remains in one piece. The 2007 Elie tornado is the only F5 to ever hit Canada.
While the idea of an F6 tornado was theorized, and putting an upper limit on an F5 makes an F6 possible, there is no official confirmation of one occurring. Although there were two times in history that a tornado was given the title of F6, both were later downgraded to F5.
How Useful Is The Fujita Scale?
The intended purpose of the Fujita Scale was to create an easy-to-understand scale for how powerful tornadoes were, making for easy communication among people during and after a tornado. It was meant to be able to quickly convey the level of damage that a tornado was capable of by grading them into tiers. Its job was to allow scientists, meteorologists, and the general public to understand the level of
What Replaced The Fujita Scale And Why?
In Canada and America, the Fujita Scale was replaced with the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which grades tornadoes from EFU-EF5. Other countries such as France and Brazil have also adopted the scale, with others picking it up. This scale has seven, with EFU being the lowest, EF0 being the second lowest, followed by EF1, and progressing until EF5. The scale contains both wind speed and 28 damage indicators to rate each tornado. Also, unlike the Fujita Scale, the Highest grade (EF5) does have an upper limit, meaning that there will never be an EF6 tornado under the current system. Wind speeds were also updated to better reflect the tiers of power that were originally intended, although they are similar to the one on the old Fujita scale. The new scale also better accounts for things like the structural soundness of destroyed buildings.