What is the most intense tornado?

Among tornadoes in general, the strongest tornadoes are those rated EF5 (or F5 for tornadoes before 2007) on the Enhanced Fujita scale. Sometimes a lower rating is given, though, if there is not enough information to confirm that the tornado reached EF5 intensity.

For individual tornadoes that lay claim as the strongest:

The strongest winds ever recorded in a tornado were 302 mph in the F5 tornado that hit the Oklahoma City area on May 3, 1999. However, very few tornadoes actually have their winds measured and others may very well have been stronger. The damage from this tornado was in the F5 range, but other F5 tornadoes have caused more impressive damage.

The most extreme tornado damage ever documented was from the Jarrell, Texas tornado of May 27, 1997. This tornado completely erased part of a subdivision, stripping away houses, grass, trees, streets, driveways, and up to 18 inches of soil, leaving no survivors in the area of worst damage. However, some have noted that the extreme damage may have been partly due to the tornado's slow forward speed, which allowed the tornado's winds to tear away at the same spot for much longer than the typical F5.

Another impressive case occurred in near Philadelphia, Mississippi on April 27, 2011. This EF5 tornado tore across rural areas, so its full destructive potential is not known, but in some areas it scoured soil away to a depth of two feet. Unlike the one in Jarrell, this was a fast moving tornado that did not stay in one place for very long.

Another notable storm was the Tri-State tornado of March 18, 1925. This storm holds several records including the longest path and longest duration of any tornado ever recorded as well as being the deadliest tornado in U.S. history with 695 deaths. Although damage was not as extreme as in Jarrell, this fast moving tornado maintained F4 to F5 intensity along most of its 219 mile long damage path.