The documentary The Twister: Caught in the Storm is constantly using the Enhanced Fujita scale when talking about the tornadoes featured in the film, so here is how the EF scale works and how many EF5 twisters there have been in history. Tornadoes are one of the most terrifying weather events that humanity has to face, with them often coming out of nowhere and tearing through large chunks of Earth for several minutes with very little warning. However, EF5 tornadoes like the one seen in The Twister: Caught in the Storm are the scariest, with many wondering what classifies a tornado as EF5.
The Twister: Caught in the Storm is an all-new Netflix original documentary that tells the story of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅly EF5 tornado that tore through Joplin, Missouri in 2011. The tornado appeared on May 22, 2001 and was on the ground for just under an hour. However, during this time, it devastated Joplin. The tornado traveled over 21 miles, with it directly killing 158 people and causing $2.8 billion in damages. The Joplin tornado is one of the most dangerous EF5 twisters ever recorded, and here is why it is classified as an EF5 in the first place.
The Enhanced Fujita Scale Is The Official Way To Rate Tornado Intensity & Damage
It Has Been Used Since 2007
The Enhanced Fujita scale is the official way that organizations like the National Weather Service rate tornados, with them classifying them based on the storm’s intensity and damage. The original Fujita scale was introduced in 1971 by Ted Fujita, with it being used until the United States replaced it with the Enhanced Fujita scale in 2007. The Enhanced Fujita scale is a lot more specific than the original, with it taking into account things like the quality of construction in a given area. The Enhanced Fujita scale also adjusted the wind speeds of each type of storm, lowering the wind speeds for each category.
The Enchanced Fujita scale isn’t just used in the United States, with it also being used in places like Canada, France, China, and Brazil. The Enhanced Fujita scale is the standard for tornado classification right now, but it may not be that way forever. Meterologists are always working on new and more accurate tornado classification systems, meaning that the Enchanced Fujita scale may one day be replaced.
The Enhanced Fujita Scale’s 7 Parameter Categories Explained
EFU Through EF5
Under the Enhanced Fujita scale, there are seven categories of storm. The lowest category is EFU, which is used for storms that don’t have enough data or cause enough damage to be classified. EF0 is next, with these storms causing minor damage but leaving most major structures unscathed. EF1 tornadoes usually cause damage to roofs while throwing mobile homes and vehicles. EF2 tornadoes are more intense, causing walls to collapse is poorly-constructed permanent structures. EF3 tornadoes cause more significant damage to permanent structures, often taking out most exterior walls and some interior walls.
|
Category |
Wind Speeds (mph) |
Frequency |
|---|---|---|
|
EFU |
N/A |
3.11% |
|
EF0 |
65-85 |
52.82% |
|
EF1 |
86-110 |
32.98% |
|
EF2 |
111-135 |
8.41% |
|
EF3 |
136-165 |
2.18% |
|
EF4 |
166-200 |
0.45% |
|
EF5 |
201+ |
0.05% |
EF4 tornadoes are even more destructive. Most well-built permanent structures can be reduced to merely their foundations, while large vehicles can be picked up and thrown. The most destructive storm on the Enhanced Fujita scale is an EF5 tornado. These storms can completely destroy almost anything in their path, such as the high school seen in The Twister: Caught in the Storm. EF5 tornadoes have wind speeds of 201 miles per hour or higher, making them incredibly destructive. However, only 0.05% of tornadoes are EF5, making them incredibly rare.
How Many EF5 Tornadoes There Has Been In History
Most Of Them Were In The United States
On the Fujita scale, Enhanced Fujita scale, and International Fujita scale, F5, EF5, and IF5 tornadoes are the most dangerous categories respectively. Since the introduction of each scale, meteorologists have gone back and classified some of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅliest tornadoes throughout history, giving some of them these rankings. There have been only 59 tornadoes classified as these categories in the United States, with 50 of them being F5 tornadoes and nine of them being EF5 tornadoes.
Surprisingly, there haven’t been that many more F5, EF5, and IF5 tornadoes worldwide. There have only been 67 tornadoes classified in these categories in history, meaning that there are only eight more that weren’t in the United States. Germany and France have had two each, while Argentine, Australia, Canada, and Italy have each had one. Despite being rare, EF5 tornadoes are far more common in the United States than anywhere else, leading to ᴅᴇᴀᴅly weather events like the one seen in The Twister: Caught in the Storm.
