How do we know how strong tornadoes are?

Each year, hundreds of tornadoes occur in the United States, often causing damage to trees, homes, and other structures. 

In the aftermath, folks often wonder how strong the tornado must have been to cause all that destruction. Scientists are able to provide an answer in the form of an Enhanced Fujita scale, or EF rating.

But what exactly is the EF scale and how do engineers and meteorologists work together to determine how strong a tornado was?

Graduate research assistant in the Department of Climate, Meteorology, and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Illinois, Eddie Wolff and Associate Professor in the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, Frank Lombardo discuss how we measure a tornado’s strength and why it’s important.

Funding for Weather Realness is partially provided by the Backlund Charitable Trust.  If you have a question for a local scientist on this program, please leave a voicemail at 217.333.2141 or email weatherrealness@illinois.edu.