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  • (F0) Gale tornado (40-72 mph)
    • Light damage. Some damage to chimneys; break branches off trees; push over shallow-rooted trees; damage sign boards.
  • (F1) Moderate tornado (73-112 mph)
    • Moderate damage. The lower limit is the beginning of hurricane wind speed;peel surface off roofs; mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned;moving autos pushed off the roads.
  • (F2) Significant tornado (113-157 mph)
    • Considerable damage. Roofs torn off frame houses; mobile homes demolished;boxcars pushed over; large trees snapped or uprooted; light-object missiles generated.
  • (F3) Severe tornado (158-206 mph)
    • Severe damage. Roofs and some walls torn off well-constructed houses; trains overturned; most trees in forest uprooted; heavy cars lifted off the ground and thrown.
  • (F4) Devastating tornado (207-260)
    • Devastating damage. Well-constructed houses leveled; structures with weak foundations blown off some distance; cars thrown and large missiles generated.
  • (F5) Incredible tornado (261-318 mph)
    • Incredible damage. Strong frame houses lifted off foundations and carried considerable distance to disintegrate; automobile sized missiles fly through the air in excess of 100 meters (109 yds); trees debarked; incredible phenomena will occur.