First Alert Weather in Detail: Use of the Enhanced Fujita (EF) Tornado Scale in Western New York State

Thunderstorms and tornadoes are always a top priority for News10NBC’s First Alert Weather team. Our goal is to warn you, not alarm you, and most importantly, to present clear information that will keep you safe.

This recent severe weather outbreak placed News10NBC on red alert in our threat tracker. This triggered “wall-to-wall” coverage that interrupted regular programming. We stayed on the air until the threat passed. Unfortunately, the recent outbreak caused significant damage in the Canandaigua area, with very large trees falling and homes damaged.

A preliminary count of the number of tornadoes in western and central New York shows 11 confirmed touchdowns. It is rare for such a high number to occur in such a short period of time. In the aftermath of the event, National Weather Service meteorologists conducted surveys of the damage sites using previous radar images and ground reports to determine if it was indeed a tornado or straight-line winds.

If a tornado did indeed affect a specific area, the investigation team will determine the intensity of the tornado. The Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF Scale) is the universal rating system used to assign estimated wind speeds to a category. The report may also include specific information on the path, width and location of the tornado, as well as the extent of building damage.

The extended Fujita scale is as follows:

• EFO 65-86 mph – minor damage
• EF1 86-110 mph – moderate damage
• EF2 178-212 km/h – significant damage
• EF3 135-165 mph – severe damage
• EF4 166-200 mph – extreme damage
• EF5 over 201 miles per hour – incredible damage

History shows that previous tornadoes in western New York State typically fall into the EF0 to EF2 category. Since 1950, the strongest tornado in the region was an EF3 tornado in May 1983 in Cato, NY.

Since then, meteorologists have had much better early warning capabilities with modern Doppler radar systems. Let’s hope this is the end of all tornadoes for a long time.