Monday, 10 February 2003
The LaPlata, MD Tornado: Issues regarding the F-scale
On the evening of April 28, 2002, a violent tornado traveled 64 miles across southeast Maryland. The tornado was initially rated F5 on the Fujita scale as several homes were literally "swept clean". More detailed assessments of the damage revealed the homes were poorly attached to their foundations and they simply were pushed off their foundation at wind speeds as low as 100 miles per hour. This paper will explore some of the issues with regard to assigning an F-scale number after such a historical event.
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