Its destruction was so extreme that Tetsuya Theodore Fujita, the University of Chicago professor who developed the tornado intensity scale, gave it one of only two experimental F6 ratings ever ...

The Fujita scale ranged from F0 having max gusts of <73 mph, F1 of 73-112 mph, F2 with 113-157 mph, F3 with 158-206 mph, F4 with 207-260 mph, and finally, F5, indicating speeds of up to 261-318 mph.

The Fujita Scale was improved by nationally renowned meteorologists and engineers to create the EF scale, which has been used to rate tornadoes since 2007, according to the NWS.

The original Fujita Scale was a groundbreaking tool for its time, but its limitations, especially in how it estimated wind speeds, led to concerns about consistency and possible overestimation.

As soon as tornadoes struck Plevna and Grinnell, survey teams from Wichita, Dodge City, and Goodland began working to assess the severity of the tornadoes using the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

Pearce explained the process relies on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, developed from Ted Fujita’s work in the 1970s, and updated in 2007. It uses damage indicators like homes, trees, and utility ...