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Severe Weather Precautions
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| Tornado's |
According to the National Severe Storms Laboratory,
tornadoes can occur in many parts of the world, however, they are most frequent during the
Spring in the central United States. Each year an average of 800-1000 tornadoes are
reported nationwide resulting in many deaths and injuries.
| SCALE |
WIND ESTIMATE |
TYPICAL DAMAGE |
| F0 |
0-73 Mph |
Light
damage. Some damage to chimneys; branches broken off trees; shallow-rooted trees
pushed over; sign boards damaged. |
| F1 |
73-112 Mph |
Moderate
damage. Peels surface off roofs; mobile homes pushed off foundations or
overturned; moving autos blown off roads. |
| F2 |
113-157 Mph |
Considerable
damage. Roofs torn off frame houses; mobile homes demolished; boxcars overturned;
large trees snapped or uprooted; light-object missiles generated; cars lifted off ground. |
| F3 |
158-206 Mph |
Severe
damage. Roofs and some walls torn off well-constructed houses; trains overturned;
most trees in forest uprooted; heavy cars lifted off the ground and thrown. |
| F4 |
207-260 Mph |
Devastating
damage. Well-constructed houses leveled; structures with weak foundations blown
away some distance; cars thrown and large missiles generated. |
| F5 |
261-318 Mph |
Incredible
damage. Strong frame houses leveled off foundations and swept away;
automobile-sized missiles fly through the air in excess of 100 meters (109 yds); trees
debarked; incredible phenomena will occur. |
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*** IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT F-SCALE WINDS: Do not use F-scale winds literally. These
precise wind speed numbers are actually guesses and have never been scientifically
verified. Different wind speeds may cause similar-looking damage from place to place --
even from building to building. Without a thorough engineering analysis of tornado
damage in any event, the actual wind speeds needed to cause that damage are unknown. |
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