NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Proposed characterization of tornadoes and hurricanes by area and intensityResults of the 1968 through 1970 Tornado Watch Experiment conducted jointly by NASA and NOAA suggested the necessity of characterizing individual tornadoes in order to improve the identity of tornado-producing nephsystems. An attempt was made, therefore, to categorize each tornado by its intensity and area. Fujita-scale wind and corresponding damage categories were devised to classify tornadoes as Gale (F0), Weak (F1), Strong (F2), Severe (F3), Devastating (F4), and Incredible (F5). Additionally, individual tornado areas were also categorized as Trace (TR), Decimicro (DM), Micro (MI), Meso (ME), Marco (MA), Giant (GI), and Decagiant (DG), thus permitting characterizing of a tornado by a combination of intensity and area, such as weak decimicro tornado, severe meso tornado, or incredible giant tornado. A test characterization of 156 Japanese tornadoes in 1950-69 was accomplished for comparison with 893 U.S. tornadoes in 1965. Unexpectedly, the percentage distribution of intensity and individual area of U.S. and Japanese tornadoes is very similar except for large and/or intense ones. Intensity distribution within the Dallas and Fargo tornadoes of 1957 was also studied in detail. It was also found that the F-scale variation along the paths of family tornadoes shows an intensity oscillation with a 45-min interval.
Document ID
19720008829
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Contractor Report (CR)
Authors
Fujita, T. T.
(Chicago Univ. Chicago, IL, United States)
Date Acquired
August 6, 2013
Publication Date
February 1, 1971
Subject Category
Meteorology
Report/Patent Number
NASA-CR-125545
SMRP-RP-91
Accession Number
72N16479
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NOAA-N22-24-71(G)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NGR-14-001-008
CONTRACT_GRANT: NOAA-N22-198-68(G)
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
No Preview Available