After the devastating twister that struck Greensburg, Kansas, you may have noticed that the tornado was considered an EF 5, as opposed to an F5?!
Largely based on it's predecessor (the Fujita Scale), the Enhanced Fujita Scale became the official scale for ranking tornadoes in February 2007.
As many already know, the strength of a tornado isn't actually measured until after the storm has hit! Tornado strength is measured based on the damage it leaves behind, and there were many doubts based on the original scale.
While the principle scale remains the same, a lot of revisions and enhancements were made to account for variables such as vegetation and building structure.
| NEW EF Scale | Old F Scale | |||
| Winds | Damage | Winds | ||
| EF 0 | 65-85 mph | Light | F0 | < 73 mph |
| EF 1 | 86-110 mph | Moderate | F1 | 73-112 mph |
| EF 2 | 111-135 mph | Considerable | F2 | 113-157 mph |
| EF 3 | 136-165 mph | Severe | F3 | 158-206 mph |
| EF 4 | 166-200 mph | Devastating | F4 | 207-260 mph |
| EF 5 | > 200 mph | Incredible | F5 | 261-318 mph |
