Introducing the

Enhanced Fujita Scale

Jim LaDue, Ed Mahoney, and Mark Sessing

(NWS WDTB)
National Press Foundation Workshop

March 12th, 2007

 Objectives

• Become aware of how tornadoes damage

structures

• Aware of What Goes Into an Enhanced Fujita

Scale Rating

• Walk through representative damage survey

situations

• Provide you links to comprehensive on-line

Enhanced Fujita Scale training
 Wind effects on buildings

Horizontal
force

Bournoulli
force
 Internal pressurization

Failure of external envelope allows the

wind to pressurize the interior
Internal pressurization
Collateral Damage
 Collateral damage

John Dean [mailto:John.Dean@powersouth.com]

 Subvortices

Adapted from Fujita, 1971

Did a suction vortex cause this damage?
Tornado damage is typically much longer
than wide
Tornado converges debris toward the
center of a vortex or subvortex
Tornado converges debris toward the
center of a vortex or subvortex
 The EF-Scale

• Need more damage The framed house is one of only

indicators a few F-scale damage
indicators.
• recalibrate winds
associated with F-scale
ratings
• better correlate wind
and rating
• account for construction Evidence indicates a well
constructed house can be blown
variability away by winds much less than
• Flexibility, Extensibility, 260 mph (Phan and Simiu,2003).

Expandability
 EF-Scale Development has a wide range of
participation
• Led by Wind Science
and Engineering
Center, Texas Tech
University, 7-8 March
2001

• Objectives
– Representative group of
users
– ID key issues
– Make recommendations
– Develop a strategy
 EF-Scale Damage Indicators (DIs)

• 28 DIs were identified by the Steering Committee

• Each DI has several Degrees of Damage (DOD)
• DIs and DODs can be added or modified

Framed house Single wide mobile home Small Retail Building

28 Damage Indicators (DI)
Degrees of Damage

DOD for a Framed House, FR12

 Meaning of the UB, EXP and LB Winds
UB: Design
exceeds codes for
typical US home,
One, Two Family House better than average
load path.
WInd Speed (mph)

250
EXP
200 LB
(mph)

UB
150

EXP: Design
Wind Speed

100

50
exhibits typical
construction
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
DOD

LB: Design fails to

meet US building
codes, poor
maintenance
and/or load path
DOD to Wind Speed to EF-Scale

Wind speeds in mph, 3-second gust

 Comparing F and EF-Scales

The EF-Scale is a damage M1.0

F12
scale: speeds were
estimated from the damage M0.8

M0.7

M0.6
EF-Scale
0 1 2 3 4 5
EF5
F5
EF4
EF3 F4 B17
EF2
EF1
B11 F3
B9 EF0
F2
B7
B5 F1
B1 B3 F0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Fujita Scale
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 0.6 1.0
Beaufort Scale Mach Scale
 Rating a DI with the EF-Scale

• Identify the DI

• Match the damage with

the DOD
FR12, DOD 6: Large Section of
roof removed, most walls
standing, 122 mph, EF2
• Modify the wind based
on construction quality FR12, DOD 7: Exterior Walls
Collapsed, 132 mph, EF3

• Convert wind speed

estimate to rating
Step3: Integrating Constructions Quality
Failing Standard Exceeding

220 lbs 414 lbs 1200 lbs

(assuming no split wood)

Photographs ©Tim Marshall

 A strategy for surveying
tornado tracks with the EF-Scale
1. Identify DIs first with LIRB: DOD 6: Inward, outward
collapse of exterior walls.
broad survey Expected wind = 137 mph EF3
2. Carefully identify
DODs for each chosen
DI
3. Rate the DIs
FR12: DOD7: Exterior walls
4. Use the highest rated collapsed. Expected wind = 132
DIs to help rate the mph, EF2
tornado

http://meted.ucar.edu/resource/wcm/ftp/FinalNWSF-scaleAssessmentGuide.pdf
 Rating a tornado event – exceeding your
maximum rating possible?

EF3^
EF4^

EF#^, where ^ means you’ve maximized the rating

of a DI before EF5 was reached.

• A tornado can only be rated within the ranges of

available Damage Indicators (DIs)
 Strengths of EF-Scale

• EF-Scale
– 28 DIs
– Accounts for differences of
structural integrity within a DI
– Wind speeds determined from
damage
– Continuity from the F-scale
– Expandibility, Flexibility,
Extensibility
• F Scale
– Only a Couple DIs
– No accounting for differences of
structural integrity within a DI
– Wind speeds not derived from
damage

Objectives: 5, EF-Scale strengths

 EF-Scale limitations

• Change in scale may introduce artifacts into the

historical record
• Complicated
• Wind speeds subject to change for each rating
• No function relating wind speed to rating
• Debate continues about wind speed assignments

Objectives: 6, EF-Scale limitations

Trial Survey

1
Large Isolated Retail Building – DI 12 LIRB
Large Isolated Retail Building – DI 12 LIRB

• DODs
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
Trial Survey: point 2

2
Metal Building System (MBS)
 Metal Building System (MBS)

• DODs
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10

Site 2
Trial Survey

3
 Hardwood Tree, TH
Mobile Home Double Wide, MHDW

3A

3B
 Hardwood Tree (TH)

• DODs
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Site 3A
 Mobile Home Double Wide, MHDW
DODs
•
1
•
2
•
3
•
4
•
5
•
6
•
7
•
8
•
9
•
10
•
11
•
12
•

Site 3B
Trial Survey

2
3

4
 House (FR12)

• DODs
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10

Site 4
Trial Survey: Rate the whole tornado

4
 For More Information

http://www.wdtb.noaa.gov/courses/EF-scale