The enhanced Fujita (EF) scale

Although the Fujita Scale has been in use for thirty years, the limitations of the scale are well known to the users. The primary limitations are a lack of damage indicators, insufficient consideration of construction quality and variability, and no definitive correlation between damage and wind speed. These limitations have led to inconsistent rating of tornadoes and in some cases an overestimate of tornado wind speeds. Thus, there is a need to revisit the concept of the Fujita Scale and to improve and eliminate some of the limitations. Recognizing the need to address these limitations, Texas Tech University (TTU) Wind Science and Engineering (WISE) Center personnel proposed a project to examine the limitations, revise or enhance the Fujita Scale and attempt to gain a consensus from the meteorological and engineering communities. A steering committee was first organized to initiate the project. The next step was to organize a forum of users to identify the issues and develop strategies to improve the Fujita scale. This paper will summarize the work to date on developing the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale.