The Xenia, Ohio tornado of 1974 never actually had its wind speed measured as we did not have the necessary technology at the time. However, based on damage the tornado was rated F5, the highest category on the Fujita scale, which would put estimated winds in the range of 261-318 mph.
Even considering the fact that this scale overestimated wind speed, that would still put the Xenia tornado's wind speed at well over 200 mph.
In most cases the wind speed of a tornado is estimated based on the severity of the damage it causes.
The largest tornado ever recorded was the El Reno, Oklahoma tornado of May 31, 2013. This tornado was 2.6 miles wide. Doppler radar measured a wind gust in the tornado at 296 mph, the second highest wind speed ever recorded in a tornado.
Tornado intensity is determined by damage, which is used to estimate wind speed. These wind speed estimates are used to sort a tornado into one of six categories from EF0 to EF5.
Wind speed estimates of an F2 tornado range from 113 to 157 mph. This was later adjusted to 111-135 mph for an EF2
An EF5 tornado has winds in excess of 200 mph.
It is uncertain which tornado was the strongest, as most tornadoes do not have their winds measured. The highest recorded wind speed was in the Moore, Oklahoma tornado of May 3, 1999. Another possible candidate was the Xenia, Ohio tornado of April 3, 1974. See the links for pictures and video of those tornadoes.
The wind speed of a tornado is inferred from the severity of the damage it inflicts.
The estimated wind speed of an EF0 tornado is 65-85 mph.
In most cases the wind speed of a tornado is estimated based on the severity of the damage it causes.
The actual maximum wind speed for a tornado is not known. The strongest wind ever recorded in a tornado was 302 mph.
Scientists usually use the severity of the damage a tornado causes to estimate its wind speed.
The largest tornado ever recorded was the El Reno, Oklahoma tornado of May 31, 2013. This tornado was 2.6 miles wide. Doppler radar measured a wind gust in the tornado at 296 mph, the second highest wind speed ever recorded in a tornado.
Tornado intensity is determined by damage, which is used to estimate wind speed. These wind speed estimates are used to sort a tornado into one of six categories from EF0 to EF5.
Wind speed is usually estimated based on the severity of damage that the tornado causes. In some cases it is measured by Doppler radar or, rarely, with an anemometer inside the tornado.
The Xenia, Ohio tornado of 1974 was produced by a supercell thunderstorm that was part of one of the largest (until recently, the largest) single-day tornado outbreak on record. The outbreak as a whole was triggered when an intense low pressure system pulled very warm, moist air off the Gulf of Mexico and pushed a mass of cool, dry air into it. The result was a series of violent thunderstorms. Wind shear throughout the region set the thunderstorms rotating, allowing them to start producing tornadoes, including the one which struck Xenia.
Scientists use the severity of damage that a tornado causes to estimate wind speed.
Wind speed estimates of an F2 tornado range from 113 to 157 mph. This was later adjusted to 111-135 mph for an EF2