Read straight down throught the page or jump to the Beaufort, Fujita, or Saffir-Simpson table directly.
Information for the Beaufort Scale wind speed table was taken from Merriam-Webster Online on their Beaufort Scale table.
| Beaufort Number |
Name | Wind Speed | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MPH | KPH | |||
| 0 | calm | <1 | <1 | calm; smoke rises vertically |
| 1 | light air | 1-3 | 1-5 | direction of wind shown by smoke but not by wind vanes |
| 2 | light breeze | 4-7 | 6-11 | wind felt on face; leaves rustle; wind vane |
| 3 | gentle breeze | 8-12 | 12-19 | leaves and small twigs in constant motion; wind extends light flag |
| 4 | moderate breeze | 13-18 | 20-28 | wind raises dust and loose paper; small branches move |
| 5 | fresh breeze | 19-24 | 29-38 | small-leaved trees begin to sway; crested wavelets form on inland waters |
| 6 | strong breeze | 25-31 | 39-49 | large branches move; overhead wires whistle; umbrellas difficult to control |
| 7 | moderate gale or near gale | 32-38 | 50-61 | whole trees sway; walking against wind is difficult |
| 8 | fresh gale or gale | 39-46 | 62-74 | twigs break off trees; moving cars veer |
| 9 | strong gale | 47-54 | 75-88 | slight structural damage occurs; shingles may blow away |
| 10 | whole gale or storm | 55-63 | 89-102 | trees uprooted; considerable structural damage occurs |
| 11 | storm or violent storm | 64-72 | 103-117 | widespread damage occurs |
| 12 | hurricane * | >72 | >117 | widespread damage occurs |
Information for the Fujita Scale table was taken from the Fujita Scale page of the Tornado Project site, and Wikipedia provided wind speeds for the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
| Scale Number |
Intensity Phrase | F Wind Speed | EF Wind Speed | Type of Damage Done |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F0 / EF0 | Gale tornado | 40-72 mph | 65-85 mph | Some damage to chimneys; breaks branches off trees; pushes over shallow-rooted trees; damages sign boards. |
| F1 / EF1 | Moderate tornado | 73-112 mph | 86-110 mph | The lower limit is the beginning of hurricane wind speed; peels surface off roofs; mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned; moving autos pushed off the roads; attached garages may be destroyed. |
| F2 / EF2 | Significant tornado | 113-157 mph | 111-135 mph | Considerable damage; roofs torn off frame houses; mobile homes demolished; boxcars pushed over; large trees snapped or uprooted; light object missiles generated. |
| F3 / EF3 | Severe tornado | 158-206 mph | 136-165 mph | Roof and some walls torn off well constructed houses; trains overturned; most trees in forest uprooted. |
| F4 / EF4 | Devastating tornado | 207-260 mph | 166-200 mph | Well-constructed houses leveled; structures with weak foundations blown off some distance; cars thrown and large missiles generated. |
| F5 / EF5 | Incredible tornado | 261-318 mph | 201+ mph | Strong frame houses lifted off foundations and carried considerable distances to disintegrate; automobile sized missiles fly through the air in excess of 100 meters; trees debarked; steel re-inforced concrete structures badly damaged. |
| F6 | Inconceivable tornado | 319-379 mph | --- | These winds are very unlikely. |
Information for the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane table was taken from the http://205.156.54.206/om/hurrbro.htm site.
| ScaleNumber (Category) |
Wind Speed (MPH) |
Damage | Examples (States Affected) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 74-95 | Minimal | 1988 Florence (Louisiana) 1986 Charley (North Carolina) |
| 2 | 96-110 | Moderate | 1985 Kate (Florida Panhandle) 1991 Bob (Rhode Island) |
| 3 | 111-130 | Extensive | 1983 Alicia (N Texas) 1993 Emily (North Carolina Outer Banks) |
| 4 | 131-155 | Extreme | 1992 Andrew (S Florida) 1989 Hugo (South Carolina) |
| 5 | >155 | Catastrophic | 1969 Camille (Louisiana/Mississippi) 1935 Labor Day Hurricane (Florida Keys) |
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