The Fujita scale,or Fujita–Pearson scale,is a scale for rating tornado intensity,based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation. The official Fujita scale category is determined by meteorologists and engineers after a ground or aerial damage survey,or both;and depending on the circumstances,ground-swirl patterns,weather radar data,witness testimonies,media reports and damage imagery,as well as photogrammetry or videogrammetry if motion picture recording is available. The Fujita scale was replaced with the Enhanced Fujita scale (EF-Scale) in the United States in February 2007. In April 2013,Canada adopted the EF-Scale over the Fujita scale along with 31 "Specific Damage Indicators" used by Environment Canada (EC) in their ratings.
From May 2 to 8,1999,a large tornado outbreak took place across much of the Central and parts of the Eastern United States,as well as southern Canada. During this week-long event,152 tornadoes touched down in these areas. The most dramatic events unfolded during the afternoon of May 3 through the early morning hours of May 4 when more than half of these storms occurred. Oklahoma experienced its largest tornado outbreak on record,with 70 confirmed. The most notable of these was the F5 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado which devastated Oklahoma City and suburban communities. The tornado killed 36 people and injured 583 others;losses amounted to $1 billion,making it the first billion-dollar tornado in history. Overall,50 people lost their lives during the outbreak and damage amounted to $1.4 billion. For these reasons,the outbreak is known in Oklahoma as the May 3rd outbreak or the Oklahoma tornado outbreak of 1999.
A deadly tornado outbreak occurred in Central Texas during the afternoon and evening of May 27,1997,in conjunction with a southwestward-moving cluster of supercell thunderstorms. These storms produced 20 tornadoes,mainly along the Interstate 35 corridor from northeast of Waco to north of San Antonio. The strongest tornado was an F5 tornado that leveled parts of Jarrell,killing 27 people and injuring 12 others. Overall,30 people were killed and 33 others were hospitalized by the severe weather.
This article lists various tornado records. The most "extreme" tornado in recorded history was the Tri-State tornado,which spread through parts of Missouri,Illinois,and Indiana on March 18,1925. It is considered an F5 on the Fujita Scale,holds records for longest path length at 219 miles (352 km) and longest duration at about 3+1⁄2 hours,and held the fastest forward speed for a significant tornado at 73 mph (117 km/h) anywhere on Earth until 2021. In addition,it is the deadliest single tornado in United States history with 695 fatalities. It was also the second costliest tornado in history at the time,and when costs are normalized for wealth and inflation,it still ranks third today.
Timothy Patrick Marshall is an American structural and forensic engineer as well as meteorologist,concentrating on damage analysis,particularly that from wind,hail,and other weather phenomena. He is also a pioneering storm chaser and was editor of Storm Track magazine.
From Sunday to Monday,February 21–22,1971,a devastating tornado outbreak,colloquially known as the Mississippi Delta outbreak,struck portions of the Lower Mississippi and Ohio River valleys in the Southern and Midwestern United States. The outbreak generated strong tornadoes from Texas to Ohio and North Carolina. The two-day severe weather episode produced at least 19 tornadoes,and probably several more,mostly brief events in rural areas;killed 123 people across three states;and wrecked entire communities in Mississippi. The strongest tornado of the outbreak was an F5 that developed in Louisiana and crossed into Mississippi,killing 48 people,while the deadliest was an F4 that tracked across Mississippi and entered Tennessee,causing 58 fatalities in the former state. The former tornado remains the only F5 on record in Louisiana,while the latter is the deadliest on record in Mississippi since 1950. A deadly F4 also affected other parts of Mississippi,causing 13 more deaths. Other deadly tornadoes included a pair of F3s—one each in Mississippi and North Carolina,respectively—that collectively killed five people.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1999,primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S.,although some events may take place internationally,particularly in parts of neighboring southern Canada during the Northern Hemisphere's summer season,as well as Europe. One particular event,the Bridge Creek-Moore,Oklahoma F5 tornado,produced the highest wind speed ever recorded on Earth,which was 301 ± 20 mph (484 ± 32 km/h).
Tornadoes are more common in the United States than in any other country or state. The United States receives more than 1,200 tornadoes annually—four times the amount seen in Europe. Violent tornadoes—those rated EF4 or EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale—occur more often in the United States than in any other country.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1990,primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S.,although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes,however by the 1990s tornado statistics were coming closer to the numbers we see today.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1997,primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S.,although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes,however by the 1990s tornado statistics were coming closer to the numbers we see today.
The 1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado was a large,long-lived and exceptionally powerful F5 tornado in which the highest wind speeds ever measured globally was recorded at 321 miles per hour (517 km/h) by a Doppler on Wheels (DOW) radar. Considered the strongest tornado ever recorded to have affected the Oklahoma City metropolitan area,the tornado devastated southern portions of Oklahoma City,Oklahoma,United States while near peak intensity,along with surrounding suburbs and towns to the south and southwest of the city during the early evening of Monday,May 3,1999. Parts of Bridge Creek were rendered unrecognizable. The tornado covered 38 miles (61 km) during its 85-minute existence,destroying thousands of homes,killing 36 people,and leaving US$1 billion in damage,ranking it as the fifth-costliest on record not accounting for inflation. Its severity prompted the first-ever use of the tornado emergency statement by the National Weather Service.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1964,primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S.,although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes.
The first six days of December 1953 produced a destructive and deadly tornado outbreak sequence across the Southern United States. There were 19 confirmed tornadoes,including a violent F4 tornado that hit the northwest side of Alexandria,Louisiana and even more violent F5 tornado that hit Vicksburg,Mississippi. In all,the tornadoes killed 49 people,injured 404 others,and caused $45,709 million in damage. The death toll made this deadliest December tornado outbreak ever recorded and it would not be surpassed until 2021. This was also the last of the series of deadly and catastrophic tornado outbreaks to strike the US in 1953.
On April 27,1971,a violent F4 tornado struck Gosser Ridge and other parts of Russell and Pulaski County,Kentucky. In November 1999,the National Climatic Data Center published a list of the historical F5 tornadoes in the United States from 1880 to 1999,which rated the Gosser Ridge tornado as an F5 tornado. It was later officially downgraded to an F4 tornado.
On April 19,1976,a violent tornado struck Brownwood,Texas,United States. The damage caused by the tornado was extreme enough for the National Weather Service to rate the tornado F5 on the Fujita scale. In 1993,meteorologist and tornado expert Thomas P. Grazulis disagreed with the National Weather Service's assessment of the tornado,which he assigned a maximum rating of F4 on the Fujita scale.
