What Are the Strongest Tornadoes on Earth?

The Fujita Scale

• It is important to understand that tornadoes are measured using the Fujita scale. Tornadoes come in varying intensities and are classified on the Fujita scale from an F0 tornado that has a maximum wind speed of less than 73 miles per hour, to an F5 that has a maximum sustained wind speed over 205 miles per hour. The F5 tornado is classified as the strongest tornado on Earth.

The Strongest Tornado Recorded

• F5 tornadoes have a maximum sustained wind speed over 205 miles per hour. No matter how strong a tornado is, the classification maxes out at F5. In the United States, where most tornadoes occur, F5 tornadoes only make up 0.4 percent of all tornadoes. The strongest tornado ever recorded occurred on May 3, 1999 in Oklahoma City, Okla. Wind speeds for this tornado were measured around 318 miles per hour above ground level by portable Doppler radar.

The Damage Caused by the Strongest Tornadoes

• To determine how strong a tornado is on the Fujita scale, ground surveys are completed after a tornado hits. Ground surveys do not provide an exact science because they look at the destruction caused by the tornado. Destruction will depend on the type of buildings that were affected by the tornado. For example, an unanchored mobile home may be totally destroyed, while a brick house next door may be unscathed even though both sustained the same winds. An improved Fujita scale has been created to take building structures into account when accessing tornado damage. F5 tornadoes are considered violent and will do the most damage. An F5 tornado can rip a house completely off of its foundation and shred the entire house leaving only the slab. Cars will turn into missiles and bark is ripped from trees. F5 tornadoes are devastating and deadly.

What Causes the Strongest Tornadoes?

• The strongest tornadoes are most often produced from thunderstorms called supercell thunderstorms. Supercell thunderstorms are very large, they contain one cell and they rotate. Supercell thunderstorms can last for hours and create several tornadoes that last for tens of minutes each.