There is a lot of debate going on after a string of thunderstorms hit Kansas City overnight. The National Weather Service says three tornadoes touched down in our area, but not where there is a path of damage running from Gladstone, Missouri to Kansas City North. That area received winds in excess of 80 miles per hour, but the damage path looks like a tornado--at least some of it does.
Was it a tornado, or straight-line hurricane force winds? The NWS is in town and will release their findings later.
The wicked weather has people asking what is the wind speeds for the new Enhanced Fujita Scale? Good Question. The scale determines the strength of a tornado. EF0 is gale force winds; EF5 is labeled as incredible winds. The EF scale below is provided by the NWS and is used today to track the strength of twisters.
|
EF SCALE |
|
EF Rating |
3 Second Gust (mph) |
|
0 |
65-85 |
|
1 |
86-110 |
|
2 |
111-135 |
|
3 |
136-165 |
|
4 |
166-200 |
|
5 |
Over 200 |
Compare that to the old Fujita scale. The NWS stopped using it because it was based on tornado damage (primarily to buildings) and there is some ambiguity in the scale. According to the National Weather service, the scale was scrapped because a tornado which moves over open country will tend to receive a lower rating than a tornado which strikes a populated area. Since buildings have a wide variation in age, quality of design, and quality of building materials, more uncertainties are thrown into the mix. Tornadoes over open country will probably encounter varying type of vegetation, leading to uncertainties in these cases.
Again, the below scale is outdated. In the future refer to the Enhanced Fujita scale. I placed the original here to help you see the advances the NWS has made in reporting tornadoes.
|
Fujita Damage Scale |
|
F-scale |
Type of Tornado |
Intensity |
Estimated
Wind Speeds |
Description of Damage |
|
F0 |
Gale Tornado |
Weak |
40-72 mph |
Some damage to chimneys; breaks branches off trees; push over shallow-rooted trees; damage sign boards. |
|
F1 |
Moderate Tornado |
Weak |
73-112 mph |
The lower limit (73 mph) is beginning of hurricane wind speed; peels shingles off roofs; mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned; moving autos pushed off the roads. |
|
F2 |
Significant Tornado |
Strong |
113-157 mph |
Roofs torn off frame houses; mobile homes demolished; boxcars pushed over; large trees snapped or uprooted; light-object missiles generated. |
|
F3 |
Severe Tornado |
Strong |
158-206 mph |
Roofs and some walls torn off well-constructed houses; trains overturned; most trees in forest uprooted; heavy cars lifted off the ground and thrown. |
|
F4 |
Devastating Tornado |
Violent |
207-260 mph |
Well-constructed houses leveled; structure with weak foundation blown off some distance; cars thrown and large missiles generated. |
|
F5 |
Incredible Tornado |
Violent |
261-318 mph |
Strong frame houses lifted off foundations and carried considerable distance to disintegrate; automobiles-sized missiles fly through the air in the excess of 100 m; trees debarked; incredible phenomena will occur |