Facts about F4 and EF4 tornadoes:
There is no given size for a tornado of any rating. The ratings of tornadoes are based on the severity of the damage caused by the tornado. A rating of F4, for example, indicates that well-built houses were completely leveled. While tornadoes of F4 strength are typically very large they don't have to be. Some have been only 100 yards wide while other have been over 2 miles wide.
The link below lead to photographs of the very large F4 tornado that hit Wichita Falls, Texas on April 10, 1979.
The Hallam tornado was a massive F4 tornado that destroyed much of the small town of Hallam, Nebraska on May 22, 2004, killing 1 person. The tornado is notable in that at one point it was 2.5 miles wide, making it the largest tornado ever recorded.
Yes, in fact the vast majority of tornadoes, including all of those rated F4 and F5, are produced by supercells.
Yes. Pennsylvania gets a few tornadoes every year. Most of them are weak, but some have been as strong as F4 and even F5.
The Goliad, Texas tornado was an F4.
An F4 or higher tornado (the only higher rating being F5) is classified as violent.
The F4 tornado that hit Hamden, Connecticut in 1989 struck on July 10.
The estimated wind range for an F4 tornado is 207-260 mph. On the Enhanced Fujita scale this was change to 166-200 mph for an EF4 tornado.
The Hallam, Nebraska tornado was rated F4
An F4 tornado can be devastating. An F4 tornado will level well-built houses and strip bark from trees. Such tornadoes have been known to wipe out large sections of cities and towns. While most of the worst tornadoes in U.S. history have been F5s, several F4 tornadoes are on that list as well.
The infamous 1979 Wichita Falls tornado was an F4.
It usually takes at least an F4 tornado to flatten houses.
Yes. F4 is the second strongest category on the Fujita scale, indicating an extremely powerful tornado that can completely level well-built homes.
An F4 tornado moved along the northern part of the San Antonio area on April 28, 1953, killing one person.
There have been a number of tornadoes that have stuck St. Louis including a few F4 tornadoes. The most significant tornado to strike the city, which occurred on May 27, 1896 and killed 255 was an F4.
An F4 tornado can be a quarter of a mile wide, but that is by no means a requirement. Tornado ratings are based on the severity of the damage, not the size of the tornado. There is a tendency for violent tornadoes to be large, but they don't have to be. A path width of 1/4 mile would not be uncommon for an F4, but sizes have ranged from as small as 100 yards to as wide as 2.5 miles.