What is the Fujita scale?
The F-2 tornadoes in Deland and Daytona Beach are considered strong on the Fujita scale. That means winds are between 113 to 157 miles an hour. Strong enough to rip off roofs, demolish mobile homes as well as snap and uproot trees. To draw a comparison a category three hurricane has at least 111 miles an hour winds and a category four storm has winds between 131 and 155 miles an hour. The Fujita Scale is used to rate the intensity of a tornado by examining the damage caused by the tornado after it has passed over a man-made structure. T. Theodore Fujita of the University of Chicago developed it in 1971. F0 – Light Damage – Winds 40-72 mph – Some damage to chimneys; breaks branches off trees; pushes over shallow-rooted trees; damages sign boards.
SEATTLE – If you’ve ever seen stores about tornadoes, you’ve probably heard them referred to something like an “F1” or “F3”. Much like hurricanes are rated on a scale of 1-5, tornadoes are rated on the Fujita Scale, which measures a tornado’s destruction on a scale of 0-5. An F0 tornado, the most common in Washington, means it was very weak with wind speeds under 72 mph and caused light damage. An F1 is a moderate tornado with winds between 73-112 mph. F2’s cause considerable damage, while F3s approach 200 mph and cause severe damage. Once you get to F4, winds can get to 260 mph and houses and be leveled. F5 tornadoes are rare but are considered “incredible” tornadoes with winds up to 320 mph and destroys everything in its path. They can turn debris into missiles and send cars flying over 300 feet in the air. For More Information: www.tornadoproject.
