<P> EF5 ( T10 - T11 ) damage represents the upper limit of tornado power , and destruction is almost always total . An EF5 tornado pulls well - built , well - anchored homes off their foundations and into the air before obliterating them , flinging the wreckage for miles and sweeping the foundation clean . Large , steel reinforced structures such as schools are completely leveled . Tornadoes of this intensity tend to shred and scour low - lying grass and vegetation from the ground . Very little recognizable structural debris is generated by EF5 damage , with most materials reduced to a coarse mix of small , granular particles and dispersed evenly across the tornado 's damage path . Large , multi-ton steel frame vehicles and farm equipment are often mangled beyond recognition and deposited miles away or reduced entirely to unrecognizable component parts . The official description of this damage highlights the extreme nature of the destruction , noting that `` incredible phenomena will occur '' ; historically , this has included such awesome displays of power as twisting skyscrapers , leveling entire communities , and stripping asphalt from roadbeds . Despite their relative rarity , the damage caused by EF5 tornadoes represents a disproportionately extreme hazard to life and limb -- since 1950 in the United States , only 58 tornadoes ( 0.1 % of all reports ) have been designated F5 or EF5 , and yet these have been responsible for more than 1300 deaths and 14,000 injuries ( 21.5 % and 13.6 % , respectively ) . </P>
<P> EF5 ( T10 - T11 ) damage represents the upper limit of tornado power , and destruction is almost always total . An EF5 tornado pulls well - built , well - anchored homes off their foundations and into the air before obliterating them , flinging the wreckage for miles and sweeping the foundation clean . Large , steel reinforced structures such as schools are completely leveled . Tornadoes of this intensity tend to shred and scour low - lying grass and vegetation from the ground . Very little recognizable structural debris is generated by EF5 damage , with most materials reduced to a coarse mix of small , granular particles and dispersed evenly across the tornado 's damage path . Large , multi-ton steel frame vehicles and farm equipment are often mangled beyond recognition and deposited miles away or reduced entirely to unrecognizable component parts . The official description of this damage highlights the extreme nature of the destruction , noting that `` incredible phenomena will occur '' ; historically , this has included such awesome displays of power as twisting skyscrapers , leveling entire communities , and stripping asphalt from roadbeds . Despite their relative rarity , the damage caused by EF5 tornadoes represents a disproportionately extreme hazard to life and limb -- since 1950 in the United States , only 58 tornadoes ( 0.1 % of all reports ) have been designated F5 or EF5 , and yet these have been responsible for more than 1300 deaths and 14,000 injuries ( 21.5 % and 13.6 % , respectively ) . </P>
what level of tornado causes the most damage
what level of tornado causes the most damage
EF5 ( T10 - T11 )
EF5 ( T10 - T11 )