Tornado: Ratings

Introduced by Dr. Ted Fujita in 1971, the original rated tornadoes from F0 to F5 based on a broad description of visible damage. While revolutionary, the scale suffered from significant limitations:

Implemented in the U.S. in February 2007, this scale provides more precise wind speed estimates by accounting for construction quality and using 28 specific Damage Indicators (DIs) like schools, motels, or hardwood trees. tornado ratings

Teams observe the structural failure level, noting if a building merely lost roof decking or suffered full foundation sweeping. Introduced by Dr

It overclassified events because it lacked precise engineering benchmarks. tornado ratings