What is a category 5 tornado?

Answer 1

The MOST powerful tornado that causes total destruction. Strong frame houses lifted off foundations and carried considerable distances to disintegrate; automobile sized missiles fly through the air in excess of 100 m (109 yd); trees debarked; steel reinforced concrete structures badly damaged; incredible phenomena will occur.

Answer 2

The Fujita Scale rates tornadoes from F0 to F5 (for some reason the F0 category is often forgotten) based on the severity of damage.

An F0 tornado causes minor damage, breaking tree branches and causing minor loss of roof covering in many buildings.

An F5 causes total devastation, completely blowing houses away and demolishing even the strongest of structures.

Answer 3

F5 is the strongest category of tornado on the Fujita scale (F0 to F5). An F5 tornado causes total devastation. Houses are blown clean off their foundations, trees sre stripped of their bark, pavement is torn from roads.

Answer 4

There is a bit of confusion of scale. Category 5 is the highest rating available for hurricanes. F5 (now EF5 in the U.S.) is the highest rating possible for a tornado with winds in excess of 200 mph (based on the more accurate estimates of the EF scale). EF5 tornadoes cause total devastation: well built houses are wiped clean off their foundations, large, strongly built structures are leveled, and asphalt surfaces are peeled up and blown away.

Answer 5

They are different strength categories used to rate tornado based on the severity of damage. Typical damage for each category:

F0 (light damage): Some shingles peeled back, tree limbs broken, weak rooted trees toppled

F1 (moderate damage): Roofs of well built houses badly damaged, trailers flipped, barns destroyed.

F2 (significant damage): Roofs torn from well built houses, trailers completely destroyed, large trees snapped.

F3 (severe damage): Roofs and walls torn from well built houses. Most trees in a forest uprooted.

F4 (devastating damage): Well built houses leveled, trees debarked.

F5 (incredible damage): Well built houses wiped clean off foundations.

Answer 6

the different rankings of how powerful it is. F0 is the weakest, but the category is often ignored f5 is the strongest. And from f3-f5 are the ones that most often claim lives, though all tornadoes can be deadly.

Answer 7

The difference is in intensity and damage severity.

An F0 is the weakest type of tornado and causes mostly minor damage. Typical F0 damage includes missing shingles, peeled siding, broken tree limbs, and weak trees knocked over. About 60% of tornadoes are rated F0.

An F5 is the strongest type of tornado, producing absolutely devastating damage. F5 damages include well built houses wiped clean off their foundations, concrete structures flattened, and asphalt peeled from roads. About .05% (1 in 2000) of tornadoes are rated F5.

Answer 8

These are ratings on the Fujita scale and are based on the severity of the damage a tornado causes. Ratings range from F0 (an often ignored category) at the weakest to F5 at the strongest. The ratings are as follows.

F0: Light Damage. Some damage to chimneys and shingles. Branches broken. Weak-rooted trees toppled. Sign boards damaged.

F1: Moderate Damage. Surfaces peeled from roofs. Mobile homes blown over. Cars blown off roads.

F2: Sigificant Damage. Roofs torn from well-built houses. Barns and trailer homes completely demolished. Small vehicles lifted. Large trees snapped and uprooted.

F3: Severe Damage. Roofs and walls torn from well-built houses. Most trees in a forest uprooted. Trains derailed. Large vehicles lifted and thrown.

F4: Devastating Damage. Well-constructed houses leveled. Poorly anchored structures blown away. Large objects become projectiles. Trees debarked.

F5: Strong frame houses swept away, leaving empty foundations. Cars thrown great distances. Steel reinforced structures completely destroyed.

Answer 9

The Fujita Scale (F scale) is a rating system that is used to estimate the intensity of a tornado based on the severity of the damage it does. The Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF scale) in an modified version of the Fujita Scale introduced in 2007. It describes damage indicators in greater detail and adjusts the wind speed estimates for the various degrees of damage. F5 and EF5 are the highest ratings on these scales, indicating an extremely violent tornado. Typical damage from an F5 or EF5 tornado includes well-built houses being swept away, trees being completely debarked, and asphalt torn from roads. In some cases significant amounts of soil may be scoured away.

Original wind speed estimates for an F5 tornado were 261-318 miles per hour. This estimate was lowered to 201+ mph for an EF5 tornado. This does not mean that an EF5 tornado is weaker than an F5. Rather, it shows that scientists think that wind speeds in F5 tornadoes were overestimated.