The Fujita and Pearson Tornado Scale—usually just referred to as the Fujita Scale—was introduced in 1971 by University of Chicago professor T. Theodore Fujita (1920–1998) and Allen Pearson (1925-), who was then the director of the National Severe Storms Forecast Center. The scale ranked tornadoes by their wind speed, path, length, and width. The ranking ranges from F0 (very weak) to F5 (incredibly destructive). This scale was replaced in 2007 by the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
Fujita and Pearson Tornado Scale
| Scale |
Speed (mph/kph) |
Damages |
| F0 |
40–72/64–116 |
Light damage: damage to trees, billboards, and chimneys |
| F1 |
73–112/117–180 |
Moderate damage: mobile homes pushed off their foundations and cars pushed off roads |
| F2 |
113–157/181–253 |
Considerable damage: roofs torn off, mobile homes demolished, and large trees uprooted |
| F3 |
158–206/254–331 |
Severe damage: even well-constructed homes torn apart, trees uprooted, and cars lifted off the ground |
| F4 |
207–260/332–418 |
Devastating damage: houses leveled, cars thrown, and objects become flying missiles |
| F5 |
261–318/419–512 |
Incredible damage: structures lifted off foundations and carried away; cars become missiles. Less than 2% of tornadoes are in this category |
| F6 |
319–380/513–611 |
No F6 has been recorded, but if such a twister occurred it would be absolutely devastating |
