List of F4, EF4, and IF4 tornadoes
This is a list of tornadoes which have been officially or unofficially labeled as F4, EF4, IF4, or an equivalent rating. These scales – the Fujita scale, the Enhanced Fujita scale, the International Fujita scale, and the TORRO tornado intensity scale – attempt to estimate the intensity of a tornado by classifying the damage caused to natural features and man-made structures in the tornado's path.
Tornadoes are among the most violent known meteorological phenomena. Each year, more than 2,000 tornadoes are recorded worldwide, with the vast majority occurring in North America and Europe. In order to assess the intensity of these events, meteorologist Ted Fujita devised a method to estimate maximum wind speeds within tornadic storms based on the damage caused; this became known as the Fujita scale. The scale ranks tornadoes from F0 to F5, with F0 being the least intense and F5 being the most intense. F4 tornadoes were estimated to have had maximum winds between and.
Following two particularly devastating tornadoes in 1997 and 1999, engineers questioned the reliability of the Fujita scale. Ultimately, a new scale was devised that took into account 28 different damage indicators; this became known as the Enhanced Fujita scale. With building design and structural integrity taken more into account, winds in an EF4 tornado were estimated to between and. The Enhanced Fujita scale is used predominantly in North America. Most of Europe, on the other hand, uses the TORRO tornado intensity scale, which ranks tornado intensity between T0 and T11; F4/EF4 tornadoes are approximately equivalent to T8 to T9 on the T-Scale. Tornadoes rated IF4 on the International Fujita scale are also included on this list.
List of F4/EF4 tornadoes
The most recent EF4 tornado occurred on May 16, 2025, which impacted Somerset and London, Kentucky.Pre-1950
The National Weather Service in the United States did not rate any tornadoes prior to 1950. Other organizations like the European Severe Storms Laboratory and Environment and Climate Change Canada on the other hand, did rate tornadoes prior to 1950. The only violent tornado that impacted the United States prior to 1950 and has an official rating is the 1946 Windsor–Tecumseh tornado, which received a rating from ECCC. However, the impact to the United States remains officially unrated.| Day | Year | Country | Subdivision | Location | Fatalities | Notes | Rated by |
| October 23 | 1091 | UK | Greater London | London | 2 | London tornado of 1091 — A violent tornado destroyed 600 houses, damaged the Church of St Mary-le-bow, and killed two people. While this tornado did not receive a rating on a tornado intensity scale, a publication in the Journal of Meteorology by M. W. Roe described the tornado as a “violent whirlwind”, so it is believed to have been equivalent to an F4 tornado. | M. W. Roe |
| 1535 | Poland | Lower Silesian | Oleśnica | 5 | An F4 tornado that destroyed part of the town. The written account of this tornado was done by Dr. Alfred Wegener, which is in the CLIMDAT archive located at Leipzig University. | ESSL | |
| 1582 | Germany | Thuringia | Rockhausen | 0 | This F4 tornado nearly destroyed a village, leaving only two houses that remained untouched. This may have been twin tornadoes instead of just one tornado. | ESSL | |
| 1625 | Russia | Tver Oblast | Toropets | 0 | This violent F4 tornado caused a path of destruction, reaching a maximum width of. Numerous houses and churches were obliterated and numerous trees were snapped or uprooted. | ESSL | |
| 1666 | UK | Lincolnshire | 4 Villages in Lincolnshire | 3 Fatalities | A high end F4/low end F5 past through Welbourn, Wellingore, Navenby and Boothby Graffoe in Lincolnshire. Killing 3 people. Rated T8/9 by TORRO which is equivalent to F4 on the Fujita scale. Slight possibility of being an F5. | TORRO | |
| 1872 | Estonia | Historic country of Livonia | Unknown | 7 | 74 farms were damaged and a church was destroyed. | Heino Tooming, ESSL | |
| 1882 | Denmark | Silkeborg Municipality | Gødvad | 0 | The tornado destroyed an entire barn, "crushed" six strong oak half-timbered homes, destroyed turf homes, scoured an oat field, and picked up the water in a pond. "A stone house had all of its wooden roof tiles ripped off and the planks reportedly broken like glass". "Deep ground scouring" occurred in numerous places as well. | ESSL | |
| 1891 | Germany | North Rhineland | Lind, Süchteln, Anrath, Krefeld | 3 | This short-lived, extremely fast-moving F4/T9 tornado destroyed the towns of Lind, Süchteln, Anrath, and Krefeld. According to the European Severe Storms Laboratory, this tornado had a path of and only was on the ground for 4 minutes, meaning the forward moving speed of this tornado was about. Hail up to occurred with this tornado. | ESSL | |
| 1897 | Italy | Apulia | Oria | 55 | Houses and stone-walled buildings collapsed. The tornado's maximum width was and had a path length of. | ESSL | |
| 1902 | Canada | Ontario | Chesterville, Winchester | Several | The tornado was wide and tore dwellings and outbuildings into pieces. | ECCC | |
| 1904 | Russia | Moscow Oblast | Moscow | 9–200 | 1904 Moscow tornado — | ESSL | |
| 1912 | Canada | Saskatchewan | Regina | 28 | Regina Cyclone – An F4 tornado that completely leveled several structures and caused others to explode as the pressure inside the structures rose when the tornado passed overhead. The tornado caused a path of destruction and had an approximate width of. With 28 deaths, it remains Canada's deadliest tornado. | ECCC | |
| 1928 | Denmark | Southern Denmark | Hostrup, Esbjerg, Alslev | 0 | An F4 tornado that impacted Southern Denmark along a path of. Several barns were destroyed near Hostrup and gables on homes were destroyed. A home's walls were cracked in this area as well. A pump that was “deep into the ground” was ripped up and thrown. In the area of the pump, a “literal” two-story brick farmhouse was “erased to the ground”, which suggested F4 level intensity. | ESSL, DMI | |
| Poland | Lublin | Lublin | 6 | 1931 Lublin tornado — This tornado is officially rated F4; however, the Polish Weather Service estimated winds at, potentially ranking it as an F5. Numerous structures were "razed to the ground". | ESSL | ||
| Finland | Eastern Finland Province | Kiuruvesi | 0 | An F4 tornado was observed which crossed over land and water. | ESSL, FMI, NWS | ||
| Cuba | Mayabeque Province | Bejucal | 20 | The F4 tornado collapsed numerous houses and other structures. The tornado had an estimated width of and an estimated windspeed of. | INSMET | ||
| United States, Canada | Michigan, Ontario | River Rouge, Windsor, LaSalle, Tecumseh | 17 | 1946 Windsor–Tecumseh tornado – Officially rated F4; however, one home had a portion of its concrete block foundation swept away, indicating borderline F5 damage. The tornado knocked out power to most of Tecumseh as well. This tornado is not officially rated by the National Weather Service in the United States as NWS did not begin to rate tornadoes until 1950, so the damage done in the United States remains unrated. | ECCC |
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
– Vandergrift, Pennsylvania United States – One of the most violent tornadoes of the Grand Island, Nebraska tornado outbreak, occurring near Vandergrift. Caused $6,000,000 in damage and injured 140 people.April 2, 1982 – Paris, Texas, United States – F4 tornado in Paris, Texas, resulted in 10 fatalities and 170 injuries. Deadliest during the outbreak that also featured an F5 tornado over Oklahoma.
May 31, 1985 – Albion, Pennsylvania, United States – Many homes in town were completely leveled and 12 people were killed.
May 31, 1985 – Barrie, Ontario, Canada – A short-lived, but devastating and violent F4 tornado affected the City of Barrie, Ontario, Canada, causing 8 fatalities, 155 injuries, and $150 million CAD in damages.
May 31, 1985 – Atlantic, Pennsylvania, United States – One of the deadliest in the outbreak, killing 16. Atlantic was particularly hard hit from this tornado.
May 22, 1987 – Saragosa, Texas, United States – Mass casualties occurred in only a few structures. Homes and businesses were destroyed, and thirty were killed. The deadliest of the year.
July 31, 1987 – Edmonton, Alberta, Canada – also known as Black Friday. Hit the city of Edmonton at F4 strength before impacting the Evergreen Mobile Home Park where a dozen casualties were located. The second deadliest tornado of Canadian history with 27 deaths.
November 15, 1989 – Huntsville, Alabama, United States Also known as the Airport Road tornado, it took a total of 21 lives and 463 were injured. 12 of the deaths occurred in vehicles.
1990s
- May 31, 1985, Moshannon State Forest, Pennsylvania; It could have been a possible F5 tornado. It reportedly caused tremors that were measured as well, and the tornado was up to and just over 2 miles in width.
- June 1, 1990, Bakersfield Valley, Texas; It could’ve been a possible F5 based on the damage Ground scouring was seen, and oil tanks were ripped from their moorings, and rolled up a steep hill in an upwards direction. Homes were destroyed at peak intensity. The deaths from this tornado, a total of two, were in vehicles that failed to survive the winds.
- June 15, 1990, Stratton, Nebraska: A violent, wedge tornado, which at times was up to 1.5 miles in width, moved across rural areas, passing near Stratton and McCook. Extreme vehicle damage of a magnitude that beats the Loyal Valley event, was seen as the tornado ripped entire vehicles to small, unrecognizable pieces. Homes didn't live to tell the tale either, as they were destroyed. One farmhouse was left with nothing but a clean foundation and basement behind.
- November 29, 1991, Springfield, Missouri; 2 fatalities
- November 23, 1992, Channelview, Texas; one of only two recorded F4 tornadoes to hit Greater Houston
- May 29, 1995, Great Barrington, Massachusetts F4
- June 11, 1998, Cumberland/Greenfield, Indiana F4.
- November 9, 1998, "Southridge," Missouri F4.
- May 11, 1999, Loyal Valley, Texas; It was evident based on the damage it caused to a vehicle, that the tornado could have had been an F5.