EF2 · 111–135 mph
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Damage at a glance
What each strength does to each object. Click a box to load it in the lab.
What is the EF scale?
Nobody can easily measure the wind inside a tornado. So after a storm, experts study the damage and work backward to estimate how fast the wind was. That estimate is the Enhanced Fujita scale, used in the United States since 2007.
The speeds are 3‑second gusts. EF0 is the weakest. EF5 is the strongest, and it is rare.
If a tornado warning is issued
- Go to the lowest floor of a sturdy building.
- Pick a small inside room with no windows, like a closet or bathroom.
- Cover your head and neck.
- Cars and mobile homes are not safe places to shelter.
- Never hide under a highway overpass. The wind speeds up there.