How fast are the winds in each EF category?

Estimated 3-second gusts: EF0 is 65–85 mph, EF1 is 86–110 mph, EF2 is 111–135 mph, EF3 is 136–165 mph, EF4 is 166–200 mph, and EF5 is over 200 mph. These are inferred from damage, not directly measured.

What is the difference between the EF scale and the F scale?

The original Fujita (F) scale, used through early 2007, tied damage to wind estimates that later proved too high. The Enhanced Fujita scale keeps the same EF0–EF5 framework but uses 28 calibrated damage indicators to estimate wind speeds far more realistically.

What Is the EF Scale? — How Tornadoes Are Rated (EF0–EF5)

What Is the EF Scale? — How Tornadoes Are Rated (EF0–EF5)The Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale rates tornado intensity from EF0 to EF5 based on damage, estimating peak wind. Why it is rated after the fact by NWS survey teams, the wind range for each category, and how it replaced the original Fujita scale.The Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale rates tornado intensity from EF0 to EF5 based on the damage a tornado causes. Surveyors examine destruction to 28 "damage indicators" (building types, trees, and more) and work backward to estimate the peak 3-second wind gust. It replaced the original Fujita scale in the U.S. in February 2007 to tie damage to wind speed more realistically.It is rated after the factA tornado's EF rating is assigned by an NWS damage survey AFTER it hits — it is not a forecast or a real-time radar reading. The rating reflects the worst damage found along the path. Because tornado winds are almost never measured directly, a violent tornado that stays over open fields can be under-rated for lack of structures to damage.The six EF categories (estimated 3-second gust)

EF0: 65–85 mph — minor damage: shingles, gutters, branches

EF1: 86–110 mph — moderate: roofs stripped, mobile homes overturned

EF2: 111–135 mph — considerable: roofs torn off, large trees snapped

EF3: 136–165 mph — severe: well-built homes destroyed, trains overturned

EF4: 166–200 mph — devastating: well-built homes leveled

EF5: over 200 mph — incredible: strong homes swept off foundations

Strong (EF2+) and violent (EF4–EF5) tornadoes are exactly what the SPC convective outlook flags on the highest risk days.

Frequently asked questions

What is the EF scale?: The Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale rates tornado intensity from EF0 to EF5 based on the damage a tornado causes. Survey teams examine destruction to 28 damage indicators and work backward to estimate the peak 3-second wind gust. It replaced the original Fujita scale in the U.S. in February 2007.
How fast are the winds in each EF category?: Estimated 3-second gusts: EF0 is 65–85 mph, EF1 is 86–110 mph, EF2 is 111–135 mph, EF3 is 136–165 mph, EF4 is 166–200 mph, and EF5 is over 200 mph. These are inferred from damage, not directly measured.
How is a tornado's EF rating determined?: An NWS damage survey assigns the rating after the tornado, based on the worst damage found along its path. Because tornado winds are almost never measured directly, a violent tornado that stays over open fields can be under-rated for lack of structures to damage.
What is the difference between the EF scale and the F scale?: The original Fujita (F) scale, used through early 2007, tied damage to wind estimates that later proved too high. The Enhanced Fujita scale keeps the same EF0–EF5 framework but uses 28 calibrated damage indicators to estimate wind speeds far more realistically.

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