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F1 tornado in Pierce County, Washington

Tornado May 31, 1997 · Pierce County, Washington

Rating

0.5 mi

Path length

0 yd

Path width

$150K

Damage as recorded

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NOAA recorded where this tornado touched down but not where it lifted, so it appears as a point. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What F1 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F1 meant moderate damage: roofs badly stripped, mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned, windows broken; the scale paired it with winds of 73–112 mph, figures later judged too high, especially toward the top of the scale, and revised downward in the Enhanced Fujita scale. Ratings then, as now, came from the damage.

What the National Weather Service wrote

A weak tornado touched down in a south Tacoma neighborhood just east of I-5. A church suffered roof and beam damage and several trees were pushed over or snapped off. There were also some downed fences.

Began near Tacoma (47.2300, -122.4500).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5600397. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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