NWS confirms Hubertus tornado from Tuesday storm

MILWAUKEE - The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touched down in Hubertus during severe storms that hit southeast Wisconsin on Tuesday, Aug. 18.

Hubertus tornado

Local perspective:

An EF-0 tornado briefly touched down near Elmwood Road and Timber Stone Way just after 6:30 p.m. The NWS said it had maximum wind speeds of 80 mph and was on the ground for about a minute, covering less than a half-mile.

What is the Enhanced Fujita scale?

Big picture view:

Tornadoes have been categorized on what is called the Enhanced Fujita – or EF – scale since Feb. 1, 2007.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android

The scale is a set of wind estimates, not measurements based on damage. It uses a three-second gust estimate at the point of damage, and estimates vary with height and exposure.

• EF-0: Up to 85 mph (considered weak)
• EF-1: 86–110 mph (considered weak)
• EF-2: 111–135 mph (considered strong)
• EF-3: 136–165 mph (considered strong)
• EF-4: 166–200 mph (considered violent)
• EF-5: Over 200 mph (considered violent)
• EF-U: Unknown

The strength of a tornado has nothing to do with the size of it. When a tornado is surveyed, it is compared to a list of damage indicators and degrees of damage, which help estimate the range of wind speeds the tornado produced to damage specific structures and/or materials. 

Severe WeatherNewsHubertus