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Tornadoes vary greatly in intensity and there is in fact a scale that uses the severity of damage to determine intensity. Winds can range anywhere from 65 mph to over 300 mph.
Most tornadoes are rated EF0, with estimated winds of 65 to 85 mph. These tornadoes cause some damage to roofs, gutters, and siding, as well as breaking tree limbs and toppling weakly-rooted trees.
Somewhat fewer tornadoes are rated EF1, with estimated winds of 86 to 110 mph. These tornadoes can badly damage roofs, flip over trailers, and break windows.
Stronger tornadoes are rated EF2, with estimated winds of 111 to 135 mph. These tornadoes tear the roofs from houses, completely destroy trailers and lift cars off the ground.
A small percentage of tornadoes are rated EF3, with estimated winds of 136 to 165 mph. These tornadoes tear down the walls of houses, and uproot most trees, reducing the largest branches to stubs.
About 1% of tornadoes are rated EF4, with estimated winds of 166 to 200 mph. These tornadoes level houses, leaving piles of debris, strip the bark from trees and can even damage road surfaces.
Less that 0.1% of tornadoes are rated EF5 with winds of over 200 mph, sometimes exceeding 300mph. These tornadoes can destroy almost anything. Well-built houses are torn clean off their foundations.
Even two tornadoes of the same rating can cause different amounts of damage, depending on how much of the path experiences the strongest winds. Additionally tornadoes vary in size and how far they travel. A large, and long lived tornado is going to affect a much larger area than a brief, small tornado and probably cause more damage. Where they occur also affects the damage. A tornado that goes over open farmland will cause more damage than one that goes through a city or town.
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Why are some tornadoes more destructive then others?
There is a combination of factors that make one tornado more destructive than another..Some tornadoes are stronger than others, winds can be anywhere from 65 mph (causing minor damage) to over 300 mph (total destruction)Some tornadoes are wider than others (ranging from a few yards to over a mile) and so affect larger or smaller areas.Some tornadoes cover greater distances (sometimes only a few hundred feet, other times over 100 miles)Some tornadoes hit more developed area than others.
What intensity scale of the tornado?
Tornadoes are rated on the Fujita scale, which goes from F0 at the weakest to F5 at the strongest (more recently on the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF0 to EF5) based on the severity of the damage they cause.
Why are most tornadoes f0-f1?
The stronger a tornado the more energy it takes and most storms do not have the energy to produce a tornado stronger than F1 or are not organized enough to focus that energy into a tornado. Additionally, tornado ratings are based on damage and some tornadoes stay in open fields, causing no damage. Such tornadoes are rated F0.
Why is it that typically winds speeds in tornadoes are faster than wind speeds in hurricanes but hurricanes inflict more overall damage?
There are two reasons. First, while damage from a hurricane is usually less severe than that of a tornado, a hurricane covers a much larger area, so damage is more widespread. Second, much of the damage from hurricanes is not caused by wind, but by flooding.
How do tornadoes break down everything in their path?
Contrary to popular belief, most tornadoes are not so destructive. Most tornadoes may cause some roof damage or toppled a few trees but aren't strong enough to do much more. Those tornadoes that do destroy much of what is in their path have winds in the range of 170 mph or more, and in some cases as high as 300 mph. When winds get above 200 mph they carry such force that virtually nothing can withstand them. When buildings are destroyed pieces of them become high-speed projectiles that add further to the destructive potential as wooded beams in some cases travel fast enough to penetrate brick walls.
Do hurricanes or tornadoes cause more damage in the US each year?
hurricanes cause more damage they can also cause earthquakes and tsunamis
Which causes more damage a hurricane or tornado?
Both hurricanes and tornadoes vary in the amount of damage they cause. Both can occur without causing any damage or can caused utter devastation. Overall, damage from tornadoes tends to be more severe,but hurricanes generally cause a greater quantity of damage because they cover much larger areas.
What does more damage tornadoes or earthquakes?
Overall, highly destructive earthquakes cause more damage than the worst tornadoes. Outside of the most destrcutive events, however, they must bes assessed on an individual scale. In both tornadoes and earthquakes, some are highly destructive while others cause minimal damage. Earthquakes do have more potential to cause damage as they cover larger areas while tornadoes cause very localized damage.It depends on the size of them. I would think possibly a tornado?an earthquake cause after the main earthquake hits which last for few seconds up to minutes property would be sometimes less damage but the aftershocks causes property to be more damage like houses being destroy more or buildings collapsed and they can also cause tsunamis and volcanoes and the damage of property would be high up in the billionsan tornado cause less damage cause even though their winds are high they can really still cause less damage like destroying houses completely and destroy buildings but not collapsed them or level them off their foundation and tornadoes dont do other secondary hazards even though after the first tornado to form a second tornado may appeared but still even if that happens tornadoes can still cause less damage and tornadoes go a straight path so they wont be able to destroy the whole city or county tornadoes can have moved more than a 100 miles but their straight path cause less damage
Do tornadoes do more damage then tsunamis?
Generally not. Tsunamis cause destruction along much larger areas than tornadoes do. However tornadoes are significantly more common
Do tornadoes cause more damage than any other type of storm?
No. While tornadoes may cause the most severe damage of any type of storm, hurricanes cause a greater quantity of damage because they affect a much larger area.
Does tornadoes cause more damage than a tsunami?
Generally not. A tsunami can usually cause more damage because it affects a bigger area. However, a tornado can often cause worse damage in a small area.
How much money do tornadoes cause in damage per year?
£400 million and sometimes more depending on the damage done.
Can tornadoes be made up of two or more smaller tornadoes?
Sort of. Some tornadoes have smaller vorticies inside them that cause swaths of more severe damage within the main damage path. However, a tornado such as this is still considered one tornado.
Do wider tornadoes cause more damage?
Usually, but not always. A large tornado can certainly damage a large area. Larger tornadoes also tend to be stronger as well, but this is not always the case.
How much money in damage do tornadoes cause each year?
Tornadoes cause billions of dollars in damage each year. The average annual damage costs from tornadoes in the United States can range from hundreds of millions to over a billion dollars. These costs include property damage, crop loss, and infrastructure destruction.
How can a tornado endanger property of people?
Tornadoes produce very powerful winds, which can exert a great amount of force. Relatively weak tornadoes can cause superficial damage to most structures, and can indirectly cause more severe damage by knocking down trees. The winds of stronger tornadoes can cause more serious damage, ripping away roofs and walls, can during the pieces into high-speed projectiles that can cause even more damage. In the most violent tornadoes even sturdy structures cannot withstand the wind. Cars, trailers, and even houses can become projectiles.
In the US is a tornado or lighting strike more dangerous?
Tornadoes kill more people and cause more damage than lighting.
