The EF Scale
Tornadoes are rated on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale from EF0 to EF5, based on the damage they cause. Here's what each level looks like in the real world.
EF ratings are assigned AFTER the tornado, based on damage surveys — not during. A tornado warning doesn't tell you the EF rating because we don't know yet. ANY tornado can be deadly.
65–85 mph
Some damage to chimneys; branches broken off trees; shallow-rooted trees pushed over; sign boards damaged.
In plain English: Your trampoline ends up in the neighbor's yard. Shingles are torn off. Small trees might snap. It's a tornado, but a relatively weak one.
View EF0 tornado data & maps86–110 mph
Surfaces peeled off roofs; mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned; moving autos pushed off roads.
In plain English: Roof damage gets real. Cars slide sideways. Mobile homes are destroyed. Trees are snapped in half. This is dangerous.
View EF1 tornado data & maps111–135 mph
Roofs torn off frame houses; large trees snapped or uprooted; light-object missiles generated; cars lifted off ground.
In plain English: Whole roofs come off. Train boxcars get flipped. Debris becomes missiles. This is major structural damage. You need to be underground or in a very solid interior room.
View EF2 tornado data & maps136–165 mph
Entire stories of well-constructed houses destroyed; severe damage to large buildings; heavy cars lifted off ground and thrown.
In plain English: The second floor of your house is gone. Heavy trucks get tossed. Trees are completely debarked. Entire neighborhoods look like a bomb went off.
View EF3 tornado data & maps166–200 mph
Well-constructed houses completely leveled; structures with weak foundations blown away; cars and other large objects thrown considerable distances.
In plain English: Your house is a foundation and nothing else. Cars end up hundreds of yards away. Everything above ground in the direct path is destroyed.
View EF4 tornado data & maps200+ mph
Strong frame houses swept off foundations; automobile-sized missiles generated; incredible phenomena occur.
In plain English: Houses are swept completely off their foundations. Asphalt gets ripped off roads. Concrete and steel structures are heavily damaged. Total, absolute destruction.
View EF5 tornado data & mapsOld F-Scale vs. New EF-Scale
Before 2007, tornadoes were rated on the original Fujita (F) Scale. In 2007, it was replaced by the Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale with better damage indicators and adjusted wind speed estimates.
The concept is the same (0 = weakest, 5 = strongest). Both appear in the Archive to preserve historical accuracy. The main difference: EF wind thresholds were lowered slightly to better match engineering analysis of actual tornado damage.
About 77% of all tornadoes are EF0 or EF1. Only about 1% are EF4 or EF5. But that rare 1% causes the majority of tornado deaths. Every warning should be taken seriously — you can't tell how strong a tornado is until after it's gone.
Explore the Intensity Scales
Dive into real tornado data — maps, statistics, notable events, and historical trends for every EF rating.
