You're too slow! But seriously, regardless of the specifics, the idea that there's something in the ground that makes it tough is what I wasn't thinking of.

I believe I misspoke. While windspeed is part of the fujita scale, it appears that post storm damage calculations are weighted more.

Technically, the classify them based on the types of damage caused rather than raw wind speed. That's because the wind is only part of the issue. Pressure differentials make a big difference as well.

I'm NOT an expert on this, but my understanding is that it's things like "snapped branches = one level, de-barked trees = another" rather than a strict definition.

IIRC, the debris type enters the mix. I remember something about 2x4s being embedded into tree trunks, or something.

This brings a whole new dimension to what my Earth Science professor, when lecturing on specific types of cloud formations, called "SLCs" or "Scary Looking Clouds."

Huh.

As with the Fujita scale, the Enhanced Fujita Scale remains a damage scale and only a proxy for actual wind speeds.

True, but size and damage typically go hand in hand.

http://www.carthagepress.com/newsnow...in-generations

Joplin tornado deadliest in Mo. in generations

JOPLIN, Mo. —

The tornado that destroyed a broad swath of Joplin ranks as the deadliest to hit Missouri in more than a century.

At least 116 deaths from Sunday's tornado had been confirmed by Monday afternoon.

The federal Storm Prediction Center says the worst tornado in Missouri's history hit St. Louis on May 27, 1896, leaving an estimated 255 people dead.

The toll in Joplin exceeds those of two other major tornadoes, which also occurred in the southern tier of Missouri.

In the southwestern town of Marshfield, an estimated 99 people were killed by a tornado on April 18, 1880. And on May 9, 1927, a tornado killed an estimated 98 people were killed in the southeastern city of Poplar Bluff.

This is the best explanation I have found.

What I'm reading is that this means that a tornado that has 300 mph winds wouldn't be classified as an F5 if it doesn't plow into a city and cause crazy amounts of damage. shrug.

Also they have changed the scale from F# to EF#, the new system is much more detailed. But an EF4 is an extremely strong tornado, nothing to sneeze at for sure.

Right, but it's not the AMOUNT of damage that makes a difference. You can have an EF5 tornado in the middle of the country that doesn't do anything but blow around some trees, or you can have an F1 tornado that cuts through the middle of Kansas City and does millions of dollars of damage.

This is significant because 1) it was a relatively powerful storm (EF4) and 2) it took a direct path through a highly-populated area. But that doesn't mean that an EF5 wouldn't have been far, far worse.

I don't BELIEVE that's true, but I could be wrong.

This is crazy. Was in the running for a job there not too long ago.

If that city consisted of buildings that could withstand 300 mph winds, I guess so.