No. The damage tornadoes do varies widely depending on how strong they are and where they hit. A tornado that stays over open country will cause a lot less damage than one that hits a city. There are six levels of tornado on the Enhanced Fujita scale, which uses damage to rate tornado strength. Here are those categories with typical damage and frequency in the past 20 years in the U.S:
- EF0: peak winds 65-85 mph. Some roof tiles and siding peeled away. Tree limbs broken with shallow rooted trees uprooted. Account for 62% of tornadoes and 0.5% of tornado deaths.
- EF1: peak winds 86-110 mph. House roofs severely damaged. Trailers overturned or partially destroyed. Windows broken. Account for 27% of tornadoes and 5% of tornado deaths.
- EF2: peak winds 111-135 mph. Roofs torn from well-built houses with most walls left standing. Trailers completely destroyed. Large trees snapped and uprooted. Account for 8% of tornadoes and 12% of tornado deaths.
- EF3: peak winds 136-165 mph. Roofs and walls torn from well-built homes. Large vehicles tossed. Most trees in a forest uprooted. Account for 2.5% of tornadoes and 31% of tornado deaths.
- EF4: Peak winds 166-200 mph. Well-built houses completely collapse. Trees debarked. Asphalt peeled from roads. Account for 0.5% of tornadoes and 26% of tornado deaths.
- EF5: peak winds over 200 mph. Well-built houses completely obliterated and swept away, leaving bare foundations. reinforced concrete structures severely damaged. Account for 0.05% of tornadoes and 25% of tornado deaths.
