In February 2007, the new Enhanced Fujita Scale (Table 1) became operational and is still the scale used to rate the magnitude of tornadoes. Beginning in 2001, it was determined that the Fujita Scale needed to be modified, and a committee of meteorologists, engineers, and academia was formed to begin developing a new scale. For instance, it did not account for the quality of building construction. However, there were some flaws with the original Fujita Scale. With respect to tornado damage surveys, one of the most difficult tasks is assigning a rating to a tornado.īefore February 2007, tornado strength was rated based on the Fujita Scale. It should also be mentioned that survey teams are occasionally tasked with determining whether damage may have been caused by straight line winds or a tornado and assessing the magnitude of straight line winds. A survey team’s mission is to gather data in order to reconstruct a tornado’s life cycle, including where it occurred, when and where it initially touched down and lifted (path length), its width, and its magnitude. When tornadoes occur, National Weather Service meteorologists are assigned the task of completing a thorough damage survey. Highly publicized damaging and historic tornado outbreaks in April and June of this year (2011) have led to a substantial increase in public interest in National Weather Service storm surveys.