Editing Fujita scale (section)

== Background ==
The scale was introduced in 1971 by [[Ted Fujita]] of the [[University of Chicago]], in collaboration with [[Allen Pearson]], head of the National Severe Storms Forecast Center/NSSFC (currently the [[Storm Prediction Center]]/SPC). The scale was updated in 1973, taking into account path length and width. In the United States, starting in the late 1970s,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Edwards |first1=Roger |last2=LaDue |first2=James G. |last3=Ferree |first3=John T. |last4=Scharfenberg |first4=Kevin |last5=Maier |first5=Chris |last6=Coulbourne |first6=William L. |date=2013-05-01 |title=Tornado Intensity Estimation: Past, Present, and Future |url=https://www.spc.noaa.gov/publications/edwards/ef-scale.pdf |journal=Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society |language=en |volume=94 |issue=5 |pages=641–653 |doi=10.1175/BAMS-D-11-00006.1 |bibcode=2013BAMS...94..641E |s2cid=7842905 |issn=1520-0477}}</ref> tornadoes were rated soon after occurrence. The Fujita scale was applied retroactively to tornadoes reported between 1950 and the adoption of the scale in the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)]] National Tornado Database. Fujita rated tornadoes from 1916 to 1992<ref>{{cite journal|title=American Meteorological Society |journal=Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society |volume=82 |pages=63–72 |doi=10.1175/1520-0477(2001)000<0063:TTFHCT>2.3.CO;2 |year = 2001|last1 = McDonald|first1 = James R.|issue=1 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2001BAMS...82...63M }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.spc.noaa.gov/publications/mccarthy/f-scale.pdf |title=NWS Tornado Surveys and the Impact on the National Tornado|last= McCarthy|first=Daniel |website=www.spc.noaa.gov }}</ref> and [[Tom Grazulis]] of The Tornado Project retroactively rated all known significant tornadoes (F2–F5 or causing a fatality) in the U.S. back to 1880.<ref name="significant tornadoes"/>
The Fujita scale was adopted in most areas outside of the [[United Kingdom]].{{citation needed|date=April 2012}}

On February 1, 2007, the Fujita scale was decommissioned, and the [[Enhanced Fujita scale|Enhanced Fujita Scale]] was introduced in the United States.<ref name="SPC"/> The new scale more accurately matches wind speeds to the severity of damage caused by the tornado.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Center |first=Storm Prediction |title=NOAA's NWS Storm Prediction Center |url=https://www.spc.noaa.gov/efscale/ |access-date=2024-12-20 |website=www.spc.noaa.gov |language=EN-US}}</ref>

Though each damage level is associated with a wind speed, the Fujita scale is effectively a damage scale, and the wind speeds associated with the damage listed are not rigorously verified. The Enhanced Fujita Scale was formulated due to research that suggested that the wind speeds required to inflict damage by intense tornadoes on the Fujita scale are greatly overestimated. A process of [[expert elicitation]] with top engineers and meteorologists resulted in the EF scale wind speeds, but these are biased to United States construction practices. The EF scale also improved damage parameter descriptions.{{cn|date=May 2023}}