Tornado Intensity and Safety
Tornado Intensity Scale: Fujita Scale
- damages to structures and trees as an estimate of wind speed close to the ground
- F0 to F5
- not very accurate because it doesn’t consider things like construction style, age of home, etc., which influence damage
Tornado Intensity Scale: Enhanced Fujita Scale
- accepted in 2007
- extensive study to define more criteria for wind damage
- uses 28 types of structures and trees
- each evaluated based on 9 levels of damage
- EF0-EF5
- corresponds roughly with the Fujita Scale so that historical records can be compared to modern events
Tornado Fatalities vs EF Scale in 2011
- 1706 total tornadoes in the US in 2011
- 6 EF5 tornadoes were 51% fatalities
Tornado Safety
- if indoors:
- get below ground (basement or storm cellar)
- if no basement, move to interior room with no windows
- get out of mobile homes
- if outdoors on foot:
- if in a car:
- drive away from a tornado on best road perpendicular to (right or left of) translation direction of tornado
- don’t hide under highway bridge or overpass
- declining numbers of tornado deaths in recent decades
- better forecasting/warnings
- tornado watch: favorable conditions for tornadoes; few hours warning (be prepared and stay near the radio)
- tornado warning: take shelter