F or EF?

[snow_wizard]

While I do think the EF scale is better in terms of estimating wind speeds, I wish they could have revamped the Fujita Scale wthout having to add the "enhanced" part and confusing the public.[/b]

It's just like when they changed the wind chill scale. The new one blows IMO!

[IL Storm Spotter]

LOL@ The new one BLOWS :-P

Are they going to change the hurricane scale next? Is NOAA just enhancing everything?

[pman]

It's just like when they changed the wind chill scale. The new one blows IMO![/b]

Well, most people just think it blows because the windchills were raised so the people who live up north don't get to brag about absurdly low windchills.

[snow_wizard]

Well, most people just think it blows because the windchills were raised so the people who live up north don't get to brag about absurdly low windchills. [/b]

There is some truth to that.

[MatthewCarman]

LOL@ The new one BLOWS :-P

Are they going to change the hurricane scale next? Is NOAA just enhancing everything?[/b]

The next thing the NOAA might change is the name of the NWS and NHC. They already said they were thinking of doing it. Not sure why.

[Indy]

The Fujita scale worked well for many years. There was nothing wrong with it. The EF scale is used in order to report more big numbers. Like that strong F3 that hit Kansas that the news was more than happy to report as the first "5" to hit since the OKC tornado. The intention is to make it look like there are more big tornadoes today than their used to be. I'm waiting for heat index numbers to be adjusted to make them look warmer.

[ARCC]

The Fujita scale worked well for many years. There was nothing wrong with it. The EF scale is used in order to report more big numbers. Like that strong F3 that hit Kansas that the news was more than happy to report as the first "5" to hit since the OKC tornado. The intention is to make it look like there are more big tornadoes today than their used to be. I'm waiting for heat index numbers to be adjusted to make them look warmer.[/b]

I'm still waiting for someone to prove that the Greensburg tornado was not an F5.

[Indy]

Estimated wind speeds for the tornado were given. The numbers were a high end F3. But they get to call it EF5 under the new scale. The proof had already been given.

[NWIASpotter]

The new scale was based off of damage just like the old one, the Greensburg tornado was an EF5 thanks to the school and the water tower. The rest of the path of the tornado was an EF3 for the most part, all it takes is one building to be rated EF5 and the tornado goes down as an EF5 in the books.

Nothing was wrong with the scale? In a sense, yes, but in the way that research showed that the estimated wind speeds were wrong based on the damage. So they revamped it to include an easier way to do surveys, more uniform results across the country and the included the new estimated wind speeds based on the same damage that was in the old F scale.

[Indy]

I don't know what you are talking about. The scales were prefect. I've seen first hand the damage an F2 and F3 can do since we had them hit near us. A quick moving low end F3 can do a great deal of damage. A slow moving big F3 can do incredible damage because it is hitting the same spot over and over again. Based on this damage thinking any tornado out over an open field doesn't get classified as anything but an EF0 because it did no damage.