Can there be an F6 tornado?
No. On the new, enhanced Fujita tornado scale, there is no such thing as an “F-6” tornado, as the highest a tornado can be rated is now EF-5 (with wind speeds above 200 mph). On the previous Fujita scale, an F6 tornado was technically possible, but none was ever recorded. For a tornado to have received an F6 rating on the old scale, it would have to produce severe damage never before observed, with estimated wind speeds of 319 mph. On May 3, 1999, using a portable radar device, University of Oklahoma scientists recorded wind speeds of 318 mph winds in a tornado near Bridge Creek, Okla., the highest wind speed ever recorded on Earth. That’s was the closest we’ve ever come to having an F6 tornado.
