Editor’s note: The video in this report is 2006 special report from Storm Team 8 looking back on the Hudsonville-Standale tornado 50 years after it happened.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — On April 3, 1956, an F5 tornado swept through Ottawa County, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. Seventy years later, tracking tornadoes has vastly improved and so has how meteorologists rate the damage.
FUJITA TO ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE
The original tornado rating system, the Fujita scale, was established in 1971. Prior to that, there was no formal way to rate tornadoes. Scientist Ted Fujita designed the scale in an attempt to combine the Beaufort scale (used for maritime winds) and Mach number scale (used for speed of sound).
How the National Weather Service issues watches and warnings
On Feb. 1, 2007, the enhanced Fujita scale took over. That change shifted the threshold for each tornado rating. For example, an EF5 tornado, at the top of the scale, indicates wind speeds greater than 200 mph. Prior to 2007, an F5 tornado wind speed range was up to 318 mph.
This change was brought about by an increased understanding in tornadoes. The original Fujita scale did not have a true understanding of the damage that could be caused by certain wind speeds.
It also did not take into account construction. For example, a weakly built home would certainly be demolished by a tornado, while a strongly built one may only have minor damage. The enhanced Fujita scale also used 28 damage indicators to help finalize the rating of tornadoes.
RARITY OF EF5 TORNADOES
Despite the changes between the Fujita and enhanced Fujita scale, both an EF5 and F5 tornado are quite rare. Only 60 have occurred since 1950, an average of fewer than one per year.
The most recent EF5 tornado happened in 2025 in Enderlin, North Dakota. That storm broke the 12-year drought of EF5 tornadoes.
North Dakota tornado was the first at EF5 strength in a dozen years
OTTAWA COUNTY: DISASTER READY
Regardless of the rarity of the event, Ottawa County Emergency Management is prepared…