Draft:List of the strongest tornadoes in the United States

This is a list of the strongest tornadoes in the United States.

Background

Each year, more than 2,000 tornadoes are recorded worldwide, with the vast majority occurring in North America and Europe.^[1] In order to assess the intensity of these events, meteorologist Ted Fujita devised a method to estimate maximum wind speeds within tornadic storms based on the damage caused; this became known as the Fujita scale. The scale ranks tornadoes from F0 to F5, with F0 being the least intense and F5 being the most intense. F5 tornadoes were estimated to have had maximum winds between 261 mph (420 km/h) and 318 mph (512 km/h).^[2]^{[note 1]}

Following two particularly devastating tornadoes in 1997 and 1999, engineers questioned the reliability of the Fujita scale. Ultimately, a new scale was devised that took into account 28 different damage indicators; this became known as the Enhanced Fujita scale.^[3] In the United States, between 1950 and January 31, 2007, a total of 50 tornadoes were officially rated F5, and since February 1, 2007, a total of nine tornadoes have been officially rated EF5.^[4]^[5]

List by state

Alabama

Fujita scale (Alabama)

Strongest tornadoes in the U.S. state of Alabama
Tornado	F#	Max wind speed	Notes

Enhanced Fujita scale (Alabama)

Strongest tornadoes in the U.S. state of Alabama
Tornado	EF#	Max wind speed	Notes
2011 Hackleburg–Phil Campbell tornado	EF5	210 mph (340 km/h)
2011 Tuscaloosa–Birmingham tornado	EF4	190 mph (310 km/h)

Alaska

Only six tornadoes have ever occurred in the state of Alaska, with the strongest ones rated F0 or EF0.

Arizona

Arkansas

Notes

^ The winds estimated by the Fujita scale are estimated values and have not been verified scientifically.^[2]

References

^ "U.S. Tornado Climatology". National Climatic Data Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 2013-10-28. Retrieved 2013-05-20.
^ ^a ^b "Fujita Tornado Damage Scale". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2006. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
^
Multiple sources:
- "The Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF Scale)". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. August 4, 2011. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
- "Enhanced F Scale for Tornado Damage". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
^ "F5 Tornado - Fujita Scale". factsjustforkids.com. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
^ "EF5 Tornado - Fujita Scale". factsjustforkids.com. Retrieved June 20, 2019.

[3] The winds estimated by the Fujita scale are estimated values and have not been verified scientifically.^[2]

[1] "U.S. Tornado Climatology". National Climatic Data Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 2013-10-28. Retrieved 2013-05-20.

[winds-2] "Fujita Tornado Damage Scale". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2006. Retrieved June 25, 2013.

[4] Multiple sources:
"The Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF Scale)". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. August 4, 2011. Retrieved June 25, 2013.

"Enhanced F Scale for Tornado Damage". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2013.

[5] "The Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF Scale)". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. August 4, 2011. Retrieved June 25, 2013.

[6] "Enhanced F Scale for Tornado Damage". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2013.

[5] "F5 Tornado - Fujita Scale". factsjustforkids.com. Retrieved June 20, 2019.

[6] "EF5 Tornado - Fujita Scale". factsjustforkids.com. Retrieved June 20, 2019.

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