How much do tornadoes damage homes?

Answer 1

It depends on the tornado and where it occurs. Weak tornadoes (EF0-EF1) which inflict minor to moderate damage typically cause a few thousand to a few hundred thousand dollars in damage.

Stronger tornadoes (EF2-EF3) often have damage totals in the millions of dollars.

Some of the worst tornadoes (typically EF4 or EF5) can have damage in the hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars.

Some tornadoes stay in open fields and don't cause any damage.

Answer 2

Do you mean cost in damages?

Or perhaps cost to purchase a tornado...?

If you are looking for the average damage estimates of tornadoes I believe the current average is ~$23,221,264/year for Oklahoma property and real estate.

Answer 3

That depends on the intensity of the tornado and the quality of construction of the home. Here is the expected damage on the Ehnaced Fujita scale:

EF0: Shingles, gutters, awnings, and siding may be peeled, though usually not extensively. Mobile homes may shift. A few windows may break. In any tornado, homes may be crushed by falling trees.

EF1: Well built frame houses will suffer significant loss of roof surface. Poorly anchored roofs may be torn off, sometimes a weak wall may collapse. Mobile homes are likley to be overturned and/or partially destroyed. Broken windows are common.

EF2: Well built frame houses will lose their roofs, but most walls will remains standing. Exterior walls may collapse in poorly built houses. Poorly anchored houses may shif off their foundations. Mobile homes will be completely obliterated.

EF3: Multiple walls will collapse in well built frame houses, sometimes with only a few interior walls left standing. Weakers houses may be leveled. Poorly anchored houses may be blown or carried some distance.

EF4: Well built frame houses will be completely leveled, with some houses blown away. In high-end EF4 damage all but the sturdiest houses will be swept away.

EF5: Even the sturdiest houses will be completely swept away, leaving empty foundations.

Answer 4

The largest tornado on record was the 2.6-mile-wide tornado that struck near El Reno tornado on May 31, 2013 with a cost of damage estimated at $35-40 million. For a tornado of that magnitude, this is a relatively moderate cost. The reason for this that the tornado, while very large and intense, traveled mostly over open country and did not hit very much.

The most costliest tornado on record was the Joplin, Missouri tornado of May 22, 2011. It was smaller (0.9 miles wide), but tore right through a city wand was probably more intense. The cost of damage was $2.8 billion.