For some reason not seeing this reported on the major non-Fox networks. Pretty sure though that this is discussed on a regular basis in high school science classes across the country.
SCIENCE NEWS MAY 20, 2024 / 11:08 AM
U.S. hasn't seen an EF5 tornado in 11 years, longest gap in history
By Jesse Ferrell, Accuweather.com
An EF5 tornado is one of the most catastrophic weather events on Earth. Monstrous twisters of this magnitude can destroy entire neighborhoods in the blink of an eye, grow to be more than a mile wide and pack winds over 200 mph -- stronger than any Category 5 hurricane on record across the Atlantic basin.
On May 20, 2013, an extremely powerful tornado destroyed a huge part of Moore, Okla. Eleven years later, it remains the most recent tornado to be rated EF5, the strongest possible rating on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The 11-year gap is the longest since official U.S. records began in 1950.
Before the Moore tornado, the blockbuster tornado season in 2011 led to the confirmation of five EF5 twisters, including the Joplin, Missouri, EF5 that killed 161 people. A total of 50 tornadoes have been rated F5/EF5 since records began in the United States in 1950.
Because most weather instruments can't survive tornadoes, the EF scale estimates tornado strength based on NWS staff investigating damage indicators.
SCIENCE NEWS MAY 20, 2024 / 11:08 AM
U.S. hasn't seen an EF5 tornado in 11 years, longest gap in history
By Jesse Ferrell, Accuweather.com
An EF5 tornado is one of the most catastrophic weather events on Earth. Monstrous twisters of this magnitude can destroy entire neighborhoods in the blink of an eye, grow to be more than a mile wide and pack winds over 200 mph -- stronger than any Category 5 hurricane on record across the Atlantic basin.
On May 20, 2013, an extremely powerful tornado destroyed a huge part of Moore, Okla. Eleven years later, it remains the most recent tornado to be rated EF5, the strongest possible rating on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The 11-year gap is the longest since official U.S. records began in 1950.
Before the Moore tornado, the blockbuster tornado season in 2011 led to the confirmation of five EF5 twisters, including the Joplin, Missouri, EF5 that killed 161 people. A total of 50 tornadoes have been rated F5/EF5 since records began in the United States in 1950.
Because most weather instruments can't survive tornadoes, the EF scale estimates tornado strength based on NWS staff investigating damage indicators.