Enhanced Fujita scale

Enhanced Fujita scale

Enhanced Fujita Scale EF0 EF1 EF2 EF3 EF4 EF5

The Enhanced Fujita scale (EF scale) rates the strength of tornadoes in the United States based on the damage they cause. Implemented in place of the Fujita scale introduced in 1971 by Tetsuya Theodore Fujita, it began operational use in the United States on February 1, 2007. Canada will begin using it in 2013.[1] The scale has the same basic design as the original Fujita scale: six categories from zero to five representing increasing degrees of damage. It was revised to reflect better examinations of tornado damage surveys, so as to align wind speeds more closely with associated storm damage. Better standardizing and elucidating what was previously subjective and ambiguous, it also adds more types of structures, vegetation, expands degrees of damage, and better accounts for variables such as differences in construction quality. The new scale was publicly unveiled by the National Weather Service at a conference of the American Meteorological Society in Atlanta on February 2, 2006. It was developed from 2000 to 2004 by the Fujita Scale Enhancement Project of the Wind Science and Engineering Research Center at Texas Tech University, which brought together dozens of expert meteorologists and civil engineers in addition to its own resources. As with the Fujita scale, the Enhanced Fujita scale remains a damage scale and only a proxy for actual wind speeds. While the wind speeds associated with the damage listed have not undergone empirical analysis (e.g., detailed physical or any numerical modelling) owing to excessive cost, the wind speeds were obtained through a process of expert elicitation based on various engineering studies since the 1970s as well as from field experience of meteorologists and engineers. In addition to damage to structures and vegetation, radar data, photogrammetry, and cycloidal marks (ground swirl patterns) may be utilized when available. The scale was used for the first time a year after its public announcement when parts of central Florida were struck by multiple tornadoes, the strongest of which were rated at EF3 on the new scale. The first time the EF5 assessment was used was the Greensburg, Kansas tornado that occurred on May 4, 2007.

Parameters
The six categories for the EF scale are listed below, in order of increasing intensity. Although the wind speeds and photographic damage examples are updated, the damage descriptions given are those from the Fujita scale, which are more or less still accurate. However, for the actual EF scale in practice, damage indicators (the type of structure which has been damaged) are predominately used in determining the tornado intensity.[2]
Scale Wind speed [3] (Estimated) mph EF0 6585 km/h 105137 Example of damage

EF1

86110

138178

Enhanced Fujita scale

2
EF2 111135 179218

EF3 136165 219266

EF4 166200 267322

EF5

>200

>322

Damage indicators and degrees of damage

The EF scale currently has 28 damage indicators (DI), or types of structures and vegetation, with a varying number of degrees of damage (DoD) for each.[4]
DI No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Damage Indicator (DI) Small Barns or Farm Outbuildings (SBO) One- or Two-Family Residences (FR12) Manufactured Home Single Wide (MHSW) Manufactured Home Double Wide (MHDW) Apartments, Condos, Townhouses [3 stories or less] (ACT) Motel (M) Masonry Apartment or Motel Building (MAM) Small Retail Building [Fast Food Restaurants] (SRB) Small Professional Building [Doctors Office, Branch Banks] (SPB) Strip Mall (SM) Large Shopping Mall (LSM) Large, Isolated Retail Building [K-Mart, Wal-Mart] (LIRB) Automobile Showroom (ASR) Automobile Service Building (ASB) Elementary School [Single Story; Interior or Exterior Hallways] (ES) Junior or Senior High School (JHSH) Low-Rise Building [14 Stories] (LRB) Mid-Rise Building [520 Stories] (MRB) High-Rise Building [More than 20 Stories] (HRB) Institutional Building [Hospital, Government or University Building] (IB) Metal Building System (MBS) Service Station Canopy (SSC) Warehouse Building [Tilt-up Walls or Heavy-Timber Construction] (WHB) Degrees of Damage (DOD) 8 10 9 12 6 10 7 8 9 9 9 7 8 8 10 11 7 10 10 11 8 6 7

Enhanced Fujita scale

3
Electrical Transmission Lines (ETL) Free-Standing Towers (FST) Free-Standing Light Poles, Luminary Poles, Flag Poles (FSP) Trees: Hardwood (TH) Trees: Softwood (TS) 6 3 3 5 5

24 25 26 27 28

Differences from the Fujita scale

The new scale takes into account quality of construction and standardizes different kinds of structures. The wind speeds on the original scale were deemed by meteorologists and engineers as being too high, and engineering studies indicated that slower winds than initially estimated cause the respective degrees of damage. The old scale lists an F5 tornado as wind speeds of 261-318mph (419-512km/hr), while the new scale lists an EF5 as a tornado with winds above 200mph (324km/h), found to be sufficient to cause the damage previously ascribed to the F5 range of wind speeds. None of the tornadoes recorded on or before January 31, 2007 will be re-categorized. Essentially, there is no functional difference in how tornadoes are rated. The old ratings and new ratings are smoothly connected with a linear formula. The only differences are adjusted wind speeds, measurements of which were not used in previous ratings, and refined damage descriptions; this is to standardize ratings and to make it easier to rate tornadoes which strike few structures. Twenty-eight Damage Indicators (DI), with descriptions such as "Double-wide mobile home" or "Strip mall", are used along with Degrees of Damage (DOD) to determine wind estimates. Different structures, depending on their building materials and ability to survive high winds, have their own DIs and DODs. Damage descriptors and wind speeds will also be readily updated as new information is learned.[4] Since the new system still uses actual tornado damage and similar degrees of damage for each category to estimate the storm's wind speed, the National Weather Service states that the new scale will likely not lead to an increase in a number of tornadoes classified as EF5. Additionally, the upper bound of the wind speed range for EF5 is open in other words, there is no maximum wind speed designated.[2]

Rating classifications
EF0 EF1 EF2 EF3 EF4 EF5 Weak Strong Violent

Significant Intense

|+ Tornado rating classifications For purposes such as tornado climatology studies, Enhanced Fujita scale ratings may be grouped into classes.[5][6][7]

Enhanced Fujita scale

References
[1] http:/ / www. theweathernetwork. com/ news/ storm_watch_stories3& stormfile=Measuring_tornadoes__F_vs. _EF_scales_03_04_2012 [2] "The Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF Scale)" (http:/ / www. spc. noaa. gov/ efscale/ ). Storm Prediction Center. 2007-02-02. . Retrieved 2009-06-21. [3] "Enhanced F Scale for Tornado Damage" (http:/ / www. spc. noaa. gov/ efscale/ ef-scale. html). Storm Prediction Center. . Retrieved 2009-06-21. [4] McDonald, James; Kishor C. Mehta (10 October 2006). A recommendation for an Enhanced Fujita scale (EF-Scale) (http:/ / www. wind. ttu. edu/ EFScale. pdf). Lubbock, Texas: Wind Science and Engineering Research Center. . Retrieved 2009-06-21. [5] Grazulis, Thomas P (July 1993). Significant Tornadoes 16801991. St. Johnsbury, VT: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. ISBN1-879362-03-1. [6] The Fujita Scale of Tornado Intensity (http:/ / www. tornadoproject. com/ fscale/ fscale. htm) [7] Severe Thunderstorm Climatology (http:/ / www. nssl. noaa. gov/ hazard/ )

External links
NOAA National Weather Service Improves Tornado Rating System (http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/ stories2006/s2573.htm) (NOAA News) The Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF Scale) (http://www.spc.noaa.gov/efscale/) (Storm Prediction Center) Fujita Scale Enhancement Project (http://web.archive.org/web/20070306232403/http://www.wind.ttu.edu/ F_Scale/) (Wind Science and Engineering Research Center at Texas Tech University) Symposium on the F-Scale and Severe-Weather Damage Assessment (http://ams.confex.com/ams/ annual2003/techprogram/program_149.htm) (American Meteorological Society) EF-Scale Training (http://wdtb.noaa.gov/courses/EF-scale/) (NWS Warning Decision Training Branch (http:/ /wdtb.noaa.gov/)) The Enhanced Fujita Tornado Scale (http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/satellite/satelliteseye/educational/fujita. html) (National Climatic Data Center) A Guide to F-Scale Damage Assessment (http://meted.ucar.edu/resource/wcm/ftp/ FinalNWSF-scaleAssessmentGuide.pdf) (National Weather Service) A Guide for Conducting Convective Windstorm Surveys (http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ssd/techmemo/sr146. pdf) (NWS SR146) The Tornado: An Engineering-Oriented Perspective (http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ssd/techmemo/sr147.pdf) (NWS SR147) The Fujita Scale of Tornado Intensity (http://tornadoproject.com/fscale/fscale.htm) (The Tornado Project) Mitigation Assessment Team Report: Midwest Tornadoes of May 3, 1999 (http://web.archive.org/web/ 20071017020508/http://fema.gov/fima/mat/fema342.shtm) {(Federal Emergency Management Agency)

Article Sources and Contributors

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Enhanced Fujita scale Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=531967991 Contributors: AKMask, Aerobird, Andersmusician, Aremith, Astronouth7303, Avriette, AySz88, Beyonce4stan, Blue520, Buzzkill512, CO, CWY2190, Carlossuarez46, Cgkimpson, Civil Engineer III, Ckimpson, Confused monk, CrazyC83, Crazybluekungfu, Dan100, DanMP5, Dispenser, Doraemonplus, Dvd5671, Eggishorn, Epbr123, Ethyl Perchlorate, Everyking, Evolauxia, Faigl.ladislav, Grafen, Ground Zero, Haon 2.0, Headbomb, Hmains, Hooperbloob, Immunize, Iridescent, J4lambert, JaGa, JoBrLa, Joseph Solis in Australia, Jwadeo, Kiewii, Kjkolb, LOL, LabradorLover456, Lou-86, Lou1986, Mapleseathing, Meofcourse77, Mtdoyle, Mxn, Neospaceblue2, Nyttend, Orca1 9904, PDH, Pediaguy16, Per Honor et Gloria, PeterSymonds, Plasticup, Rchandra, Rdfox 76, RingtailedFox, Runningonbrains, Ryoung122, Saros136, Shinkolobwe, Simozoom127, SkeeterVT, Ssbohio, Student7, Supkid, TaintedMustard, Titoxd, Topbanana, TornadoLGS, Typofixer76, Undescribed, WxGopher, Xanzzibar, Zntrip, 132 anonymous edits

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File:EF0 tornado damage example (1).jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:EF0_tornado_damage_example_(1).jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: User:Logan Image:EF1 tornado damage example.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:EF1_tornado_damage_example.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Storm Prediction Center, NWS. Uploaded by Pierre cb File:EF2 tornado damage example (1).jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:EF2_tornado_damage_example_(1).jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: User:Logan Image:EF3 tornado damage example.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:EF3_tornado_damage_example.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Pierre cb Image:EF4 tornado damage example.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:EF4_tornado_damage_example.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Pierre cb Image:EF5 tornado damage example.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:EF5_tornado_damage_example.jpg License: unknown Contributors: National Weather Service

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