Tornadoes are among the most destructive atmospheric phenomena on Earth. Public interest often focuses on the most extreme category, the EF5, which represents the highest level of wind speed and resulting devastation. This classification suggests a degree of catastrophe few natural events can match. Understanding the historical record requires knowing when and where the last of these highly destructive events occurred.
The Last Confirmed EF5 Tornado
The longest recorded period without a confirmed EF5 tornado in the United States ended with a storm near Enderlin, North Dakota. This violent tornado touched down on the night of June 20, 2025, breaking a 12-year streak. The previous confirmed EF5 was the devastating May 20, 2013, tornado that struck Moore, Oklahoma.
The National Weather Service (NWS) initially rated the tornado lower, but an extensive post-storm analysis resulted in an upgrade to the highest possible rating. The tornado’s path was approximately 12 miles long, reaching a width of over one mile at its peak intensity. The official EF5 rating was assigned after surveyors documented catastrophic damage, including the complete removal of a farm structure from its foundation. The storm was powerful enough to derail and loft multiple full grain and tanker train cars, supporting the maximum wind speed estimate of over 210 miles per hour.
Decoding the Enhanced Fujita Scale
The rating system used to measure a tornado’s intensity is the Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale, which became the standard for the United States on February 1, 2007. It replaced the original Fujita (F) Scale, addressing limitations that often overestimated wind speeds and failed to account for variations in construction quality. The EF Scale is a set of wind estimates based on the damage observed, rather than direct wind speed measurements.
To assign a rating, NWS personnel compare the damage along a tornado’s path to a list of 28 Damage Indicators (DIs), covering everything from trees to various types of structures. For each indicator, specific Degrees of Damage (DoD) correspond to an estimated 3-second wind gust. The maximum category, an EF5 rating, is assigned only when the damage indicates wind speeds are in excess of 200 miles per hour. For example, a house of above-standard construction must be completely swept clean from its foundation for an EF5 rating to be considered.
Why EF5 Events Are So Infrequent
The extreme rarity of EF5 events results from both meteorological factors and the constraints of the damage-based rating system itself. Statistically, EF4 and EF5 tornadoes combined account for only about two percent of all tornadoes in the United States. The atmospheric conditions necessary to produce wind speeds over 200 miles per hour are simply uncommon.
Even if a tornado generates EF5-level wind speeds, it may not receive that rating if it does not encounter structures resistant enough to show catastrophic damage. The EF Scale relies on finding specific damage indicators; therefore, a high-intensity tornado passing over sparsely populated areas may only be rated EF4 or lower. This means the true intensity of some storms may be underestimated due to the lack of sufficient damage evidence to survey. The Enderlin tornado was only upgraded to an EF5 after careful analysis of the destruction to heavily weighted train cars, demonstrating the need for high-resistance objects to confirm the rating.