Only nine tornadoes have been officially rated EF5 since the Enhanced Fujita Scale went into effect in the United States on February 1, 2007. This is the complete list — plus the most notable F5 tornadoes of the earlier Fujita-scale era.
The first-ever tornado rated EF5 under the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which had gone into effect just three months earlier. Destroyed 95% of the town of Greensburg. Read the full story →
Struck the town of Parkersburg, Iowa on Memorial Day weekend, destroying approximately 300 homes and the town's high school. Continued east to New Hartford before dissipating over 43 miles.
One of four EF5 tornadoes during the historic 2011 Super Outbreak. Virtually destroyed the town of Smithville (population 900). Read the full story →
Part of the same day as Smithville and Hackleburg. Traveled through rural Neshoba County, Mississippi. Lower death toll due to sparse population along the path, but damage in Neshoba County villages was total.
The deadliest tornado of the 2011 Super Outbreak. Long-track EF5 that crossed 132 miles from northwestern Alabama into southern Tennessee. Read the full story →
Struck DeKalb County, Alabama in the same overnight-to-afternoon sequence of April 27 that produced four EF5s. Destroyed hundreds of homes across the town of Rainsville.
The deadliest single US tornado since 1947 and the deadliest of the modern EF-scale era. Destroyed over 7,000 buildings in Joplin including St. John's Regional Medical Center. Read the full story →
The 2011 El Reno tornado (not to be confused with the wider El Reno tornado of 2013). Traveled through Oklahoma City's western suburbs on a 63-mile track. The first EF5 to strike central Oklahoma since the 1999 Bridge Creek–Moore F5.
The most recent EF5 in US history. Struck Moore, Oklahoma directly for the third time in 14 years, killing 7 children at Plaza Towers Elementary School. Read the full story →
Since Moore 2013, several US tornadoes have exhibited EF5-caliber wind speeds on mobile Doppler radar, but none have been officially rated EF5 by the National Weather Service:
Meteorologists have debated whether the NWS damage-survey methodology has become more conservative in the EF-scale era. The EF5 rating requires engineered damage indicators (such as reinforced-concrete failure or ground scouring) that most rural tornado paths do not encounter, even at 200+ mph winds.
Before the Enhanced Fujita Scale, tornadoes were rated on the original Fujita Scale (F0–F5), introduced by Dr. Tetsuya Fujita in 1971 and applied retroactively to tornadoes back to 1950. Approximately 50 F5 tornadoes were officially rated in the US during the F-scale era. These are the most historically significant.
Struck downtown Waco with no warning, catching residents indoors during an afternoon rain. Destroyed the entire block around the courthouse. Led directly to the creation of the US public tornado warning program.
The deadliest US tornado of the second half of the 20th century until Joplin 2011. Destroyed the Beecher subdivision of Flint. The following day, an F4 struck Worcester, Massachusetts (94 killed).
Struck the small town of Udall at night, catching residents asleep. Killed roughly a fifth of the town's population. Part of a multi-state outbreak that also produced the Blackwell, OK F5.
Struck Topeka on a Wednesday evening, causing severe damage on the Washburn University campus. One of the costliest tornadoes of the 1960s in inflation-adjusted terms.
The signature tornado of the 1974 Super Outbreak — 148 tornadoes in 24 hours across 13 states. Destroyed roughly half the town of Xenia. Read the full story →
Also part of the 1974 Super Outbreak. Long-track F5 that traveled through rural Alabama and virtually destroyed the town of Guin. One of six F5s that touched down during the 24-hour outbreak.
Multiple tornadoes struck Grand Island in a single night — including one F4 and one F5. Widely documented for its unusual multi-tornado behavior and later dramatized in the film Night of the Twisters.
The only official US F5 with no tornado warning ever issued. Struck the Chicago suburb of Plainfield during afternoon rush hour. Led to major changes in NWS warning protocols.
The Andover tornado struck the Golden Spur Mobile Home Park during peak intensity, killing 13 people there alone. Widely documented by early storm chasers whose footage helped establish modern chase safety practices.
Perhaps the most extreme F5 damage ever documented. Slow-moving (10 mph) direct hit on the Double Creek Estates subdivision — winds acted on structures for many minutes, leaving concrete slabs swept clean. Recovery efforts recovered virtually no intact debris.
Produced the highest wind speed ever measured on Earth (301 mph via mobile Doppler radar). The last F5 before the scale changed to EF in February 2007. Read the full story →
The original Fujita Scale was retired in the US on February 1, 2007 and replaced by the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The change was driven by structural engineering research showing that the original F-scale wind speeds were too high — for example, the original F5 required winds over 261 mph, but modern testing showed similar damage occurs at 200+ mph. The EF Scale keeps the same six categories (EF0–EF5) but with more realistic wind speed estimates tied to 28 damage indicators.
Full details on the modern scale: The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale explained →
→ Simulate an EF5 direct hit on our map