An F2 (now officially called EF2) tornado produces wind speeds between 111 and 135 mph, strong enough to tear roofs off well-built houses, destroy mobile homes, and uproot large trees. It sits in the middle of the six-tier Enhanced Fujita Scale, which rates tornadoes from EF0 to EF5 based on the damage they leave behind. EF2 tornadoes are considered “significant” and account for roughly 14% of all recorded tornadoes in the United States.
How an EF2 Tornado Is Rated
Tornadoes aren’t rated by measuring wind speed directly. After a tornado passes, National Weather Service teams survey the damage path and work backward to estimate how fast the winds must have been. They examine specific types of structures, trees, and infrastructure, comparing what they find against a set of 28 “damage indicators” with defined degrees of destruction. If the damage pattern matches what 111 to 135 mph winds would produce, the tornado receives an EF2 rating.
This means a tornado’s rating reflects its strongest damage at any point along its path. A tornado might produce EF1-level damage for most of its life but hit EF2 intensity for a short stretch. It would still be classified as an EF2.
What EF2 Damage Looks Like
The signature damage at the EF2 level is roofs torn completely off well-constructed frame houses, with some homes shifted off their foundations. Mobile homes are completely destroyed, not just flipped or pushed but reduced to debris. Large trees snap at the trunk or get pulled out of the ground entirely. Cars can be lifted off the pavement, and loose objects become dangerous projectiles.
For comparison, an EF1 tornado (86 to 110 mph) peels surfaces off roofs and pushes mobile homes off foundations but generally leaves the main structure of a house standing. An EF3 (136 to 165 mph) begins destroying entire stories of well-built homes and throwing heavier objects significant distances. The jump from EF1 to EF2 is where damage shifts from “repairable” to “some structures are a total loss.”
The Original F2 vs. the Modern EF2
Before 2007, tornadoes were rated on the original Fujita Scale, where an F2 carried an estimated wind range of 113 to 157 mph. Engineers later determined those upper estimates were too high. The Enhanced Fujita Scale, adopted in February 2007, lowered the EF2 ceiling to 135 mph based on better research into how buildings actually fail under wind loads. A tornado that would have been rated F2 in 1995 and one rated EF2 today represent similar levels of real-world destruction, but the wind speed numbers attached to them are more accurate now.
If you see older tornado records listing “F2,” it’s the same general severity category. The International Code Council notes that both scales describe the same type of damage: roofs torn off frame houses, mobile homes demolished, large trees uprooted, and cars lifted off the ground.
How Common EF2 Tornadoes Are
Between 1953 and 2022, the U.S. recorded 78,535 rated tornadoes. Of those, 11,197 were rated (E)F2, roughly one in seven. The vast majority of tornadoes (around 77%) are rated EF0 or EF1. EF2 is where the “significant” category begins, and tornadoes rated EF2 or higher make up about 23% of all U.S. tornadoes but cause a disproportionate share of deaths and property damage.
Real-World EF2 Events
A 2007 F2 tornado near Clovis, New Mexico stayed on the ground for 36 minutes across two counties, with an average width of about 200 yards. Peak winds reached an estimated 125 mph. The tornado destroyed a dairy operation, severely damaged a city water well facility, downed power poles, and caused heavy structural damage in southeast Clovis. Two people were killed and 33 injured.
In March 2019, an EF2 tornado touched down about 15 miles south-southeast of Dexter, New Mexico and tracked north-northeast for roughly 15 minutes. Six homes were substantially damaged or completely destroyed, with another dozen sustaining moderate damage. Six people were injured, but no one was killed. These examples illustrate the range of EF2 outcomes: the same wind speeds can be deadly or survivable depending on the path, warning time, and available shelter.
Sheltering From EF2 Winds
Standard advice for any tornado applies to an EF2: get to the lowest floor of a sturdy building and into an interior room away from windows. Because EF2 winds can remove entire roofs, upper floors and rooms with exterior walls offer significantly less protection. A basement or storm cellar is the safest option in a home.
New building codes are starting to address this level of tornado directly. The National Institute of Standards and Technology notes that updated codes require certain buildings to withstand up to EF2 winds, which covers about 97% of all tornadoes. Practical upgrades include specially designed metal straps that anchor a roof to the walls, stronger materials, and modified roof angles that make structures more aerodynamic. These changes are relatively cost-effective for wood-frame construction.
Purpose-built storm shelters go further. Certified shelters must have walls and windows tested to withstand the impact of a two-by-four plank launched at 100 mph. Hundreds of these shelters have been hit by tornadoes over the years, and none have failed. They provide near-absolute protection even from the strongest tornadoes, well beyond what EF2 winds demand. If you live in a tornado-prone area and your home lacks a basement, a certified storm shelter is the single most effective investment for life safety.