1974 Super Outbreak

Second-largest tornado outbreak in United States history May 2025 April 2024 infobox 1/2 300 Super Outbreak 1974-04-03 loop.gif The 1974 Xenia tornado on Radar.png Guin, Alabama, 1974 tornado damage path ERTS-1 satellite image (cropped).jpg Super Outbreak Map.jpg XeniaArrowheadWindsorPArk.jpg Clockwise from top: Satellite image of the system responsible for the outbreak on April 3; F5 damage in Guin, Alabama, after a devastating tornado struck the town; aerial view of damage in Xenia, Ohio, after a devastating F5 tornado; paths of the 148 tornadoes generated in United States during the 1974 Super Outbreak (one tornado was unconfirmed and determined to be a microburst); radar image of supercells in Ohio, including the one that would produce the Xenia tornado April 3–4, 1974 149 confirmed F5 Tornadic – 305 mph km/h on (Xenia, Ohio F5 on April 3) Non-tornadic – 85 mph km/h on in Oklahoma 2.5 in cm on at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport, Illinois on April 3 (unverified report) 1 day, 1 hour, 16 minutes 980 3 in cm in multiple locations 12 in cm in multiple locations in Colorado 310–335 fatalitiesCorfidi Stephen F. Weiss Steven J. Kain John S. Corfidi Sarah J. Rabin Robert M. Levit Jason J. Revisiting the 3–4 April 1974 Super Outbreak of Tornadoes https://www.spc.noaa.gov/publications/corfidi/74superoutbreak.PDF American Meteorological Society April 3, 2024 April 3, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240403042643/https://www.spc.noaa.gov/publications/corfidi/74superoutbreak.PDF live Weather and Forecasting 10.1175/2009WAF2222297.1 25 2 April 2010 465–510 2010WtFor..25..465C 1520-0434 0882-8156National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration December 1974 April 10, 2023 The Widespread Tornado Outbreak of April 3–5, 1974: A Report to the Administrator National Disaster Survey Report https://www.weather.gov/media/iln/events/19740403/Assessment.pdf January 14, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240114064451/https://www.weather.gov/media/iln/events/19740403/Assessment.pdf live 5,454–6,142 injuries $600 million (1974 USD)$4.10 billion (2026 USD) Midwestern and Southern United States, Ontario, Canada tornado outbreaks of 1974 The 1974 Super Outbreak was one of the most intense tornado outbreaks on record, occurring on April 3–4, 1974, across much of the United States. It was one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks in U.S. history. It was also the most violent tornado outbreak ever recorded, with 30 violent (F4 or F5 rated) tornadoes confirmed. From April 3–4, there were 149 tornadoes confirmed in 13 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Ontario.Originally, a series of studies by Fujita and his colleagues in 1974–75 recorded 148 tornadoes, but one of these was subsequently reclassified as a microburst.Fujita Abbey 1983 37–66 Only 147 of the original 148 tornadoes appear on the Storm Prediction Center's official database today. "nb" In the United States, the tornadoes struck Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and New York. The outbreak caused roughly $600 million USD (equivalent to $US 600,000,000 1974 in US) in damage.https://www.weather.gov/iln/19740403 The Super Outbreak of April 3-4, 1974 National Weather Service Wilmington, Ohio April 4, 2024 January 3, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240103000938/https://www.weather.gov/iln/19740403 live The outbreak extensively damaged approximately 900 mi2 km2 4 on along a total combined path length of 2,600 mi km 4 on.Fujita Abbey 1983 37–66April 2, 2004 Analysis and reconstruction of the 1974 tornado Super Outbreak https://support.rms.com/publications/1974SuperTornadoReport.pdf Risk Management Solutions 9 April 6, 2014 In total, 148 tornadoes spanned 13 states producing about 900 mi2 km2 off of tornado damage in less than 18 hours. ... Most of the tornadoes were produced by individual thunderstorm cells within these lines. The individual tornadoes moved northeastward at 40 – 60 mph km/h on, while the larger scale squall-line systems advanced toward the southeast. ... Many of these tornadoes were part of 'families' or a sequence of tornadoes spawned in succession by a single thunderstorm cell. Dr. Ted Fujita identified 30 such tornado families that accounted for 74% of the Outbreak's tornadoes and resulted in 98% of the 315 deaths. The longest-lasting tornado family existed for nearly five hours, while the average life was approximately two hours. dead https://web.archive.org/web/20131023111435/https://support.rms.com/publications/1974SuperTornadoReport.pdf October 23, 2013 At one point, as many as 15 separate tornadoes were occurring simultaneously.Fujita Abbey 1983 37–66Relationship between tornadoes and hook echoes on April 3, 1974 Forbes G. S. 1975 Ninth Conf. on Severe Local Storms American Meteorological Society Preprints 280–85 Boston The 1974 Super Outbreak was the first tornado outbreak in recorded history to produce more than 100 tornadoes in under a 24-hour period, a feat that was not repeated globally until the 1981 United Kingdom tornado outbreakM. W. Britain's Greatest Tornado Outbreak Rowe G. T. Meaden August 1, 1985 Weather 40 8 230–235 10.1002/j.1477-8696.1985.tb06883.x 1985Wthr...40..230R and in the United States until the 2011 Super Outbreak, the largest outbreak on record by number of tornadoes in a 24-hour period. In 2023, tornado expert Thomas P. Grazulis created the outbreak intensity score (OIS) as a way to rank various tornado outbreaks. The 1974 Super Outbreak received an OIS of 578, making it the most intense tornado outbreak in recorded history.Grazulis Thomas P. Thomas P. Grazulis Significant Tornadoes 1974–2022 2023 The Tornado Project St. Johnsbury, Vermont 978-1-879362-01-7 637 __TOC__ Meteorological synopsis left|upright=1.1|thumb|Upper-level winds during the Super Outbreak A powerful springtime low pressure system developed across the North American Interior Plains on April 1. While moving into the Mississippi and Ohio Valley areas, a surge of unusually moist air intensified the storm further, while there were sharp temperature contrasts between both sides of the system. Officials at NOAA and in the National Weather Service forecast offices were expecting a severe weather outbreak on April 3, but not to the extent that ultimately occurred. Several F2 and F3 tornadoes had struck portions of the Ohio Valley and the South in a separate, earlier outbreak on April 1 and 2, which included three killer tornadoes in Kentucky, Alabama, and Tennessee. The town of Campbellsburg, northeast of Louisville, was hard-hit in this earlier outbreak, with a large portion of the town destroyed by an F3.NWS Louisville April 1, 1974 http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lmk/?n=tornado_climatology_april11974 Crh.noaa.gov March 3, 2007 October 22, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20121022045854/http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lmk/?n=tornado_climatology_april11974 live Between the two outbreaks, an additional tornado was reported in Indiana in the early morning hours of April 3, several hours before the official start of the outbreak.Grazulis 1990 On Wednesday, April 3, severe weather watches already were issued from the morning from south of the Great Lakes, while in portions of the Upper Midwest, snow was reported, with heavy rain falling across central Michigan and much of Ontario.October 2015 April 3 Morning setup and convection left|thumb|257x257px|Surface weather analysis on April 3 By 12:00 UTC on April 3, a large-scale trough extended over most of the contiguous United States, with several modest shortwaves rotating around the broad base of the trough. The mid-latitude low-pressure center over Kansas continued to deepen to 980 mb inHg 4 on, and wind speeds at the 850-mb level increased to 50 kn mi/h on (25.7 m/s km/h on) over portions of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Due to significant moisture advection, destabilization rapidly proceeded apace; the warm front near the Gulf Coast dissipated and then redeveloped northward over the Ohio River valley. Consequently, CAPE levels in the region rose to 1,000 J/kg. However, a warm temperature plume in the elevated mixed layer kept thunderstorms from initiating at the surface.http://www.spc.noaa.gov/publications/corfidi/3apr74.pdf The Super Outbreak: Outbreak of the Century Corfidi S.F. Kay M.P. Hart J.A. 2004 22nd Conf. Severe Local Storms Preprints Hyannis, Massachusetts April 14, 2014 June 11, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140611124147/http://www.spc.noaa.gov/publications/corfidi/3apr74.pdf live Meanwhile, a large mesoscale convective system (MCS) that had developed overnight in Arkansas continued to strengthen due to strong environmental lapse rates. Later in the day, strong daytime heating caused instability to further rise. By 18:00 UTC, CAPE values in excess of 2,500 J/kg were present over the lower Ohio and the Mississippi Valley. As wind speeds in the troposphere increased, Large-scale lifting overspread the warm sector. At the same time, the forward-propagating MCS spread into the Tennessee and Ohio valleys, where it evolved into the first of three main convection bands that produced tornadoes.Corfidi S.F. S.J. Weiss J.S. Kain S.J. Corfidi R.M. Rabin J.J. Levit Revisiting the 3–4 April 1974 Super Outbreak of Tornadoes Weather Forecast. April 2010 35 2 465–510 10.1175/2009WAF2222297.1 2010WtFor..25..465C 120118000 https://zenodo.org/record/1234549 June 25, 2019 August 27, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200827231429/https://zenodo.org/record/1234549 live free This first convective band moved rapidly northeast, at times reaching speeds of about 60 kn mi/h on (30.9 m/s km/h on). However, thunderstorm activity, for the moment, remained mostly elevated in nature. Afternoon supercells + Fatalities by state/province State/province FatalitiesAlabama 77Georgia 16Illinois 5Indiana 47Kentucky 71Michigan 2North Carolina 6Ohio 38Ontario 9Tennessee 45Virginia 1West Virginia 1 Total 319 By 16:30 UTC, the large MCS began to splinter into two sections: the southern part slowed, lagging into southeast Tennessee, while the northern part accelerated, reaching Pennsylvania by 19:30 UTC. The split was related to several factors, including a band of subsidence over eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia; local downslope winds over the Appalachians; and an inversion over the same area. These factors allowed the northern part of the MCS to accelerate due to efficient ducting, while the southern part slowed as the boundary layer warmed and moistened. Numerous surface-based supercells began to develop in the southern area, beginning with one that produced an F3 tornado at about 16:30 UTC near Cleveland, Tennessee. Meanwhile, a new band of scattered thunderstorms developed at 15:00 UTC over eastern Arkansas and Missouri; over the next four hours, this band became the focus for several intense supercells, starting in eastern Illinois and southern Indiana. In the wake of the MCS, backing low-level winds, rapid diurnal destabilization, and perhaps cool, mid-level advection had occurred over the warm sector, weakening the convective inhibition (CINH) layer, and favorable wind profiles bolstered helicity to over 230 m2/s²—a combination of factors conducive to tornadogenesis. Consequently, the storms increased in intensity and coverage as they moved into Illinois, Indiana, and northern Kentucky, producing several tornadoes, including the first F5 tornado of the day, at 19:20 UTC, near Depauw, Indiana. Several of the storms to form between 19:20 and 20:20 UTC became significant, long-lived supercells, producing many strong or violent tornadoes,Grazulis 1990 including three F5s at Depauw; Xenia, Ohio; and Brandenburg, Kentucky. These storms formed the second of three convective bands to generate tornadoes. While violent tornado activity increased over the warm sector, a third band of convection developed at about 16:00 UTC and extended from near St. Louis into west-central Illinois. Based upon real-time satellite imagery and model data, differential positive vorticity advection coincided with the left exit region of an upper-level jet streak which reached wind speeds of up to 130 kn mi/h on (66.9 m/s km/h on), thereby enhancing thunderstorm growth. Storms grew rapidly in height and extent, producing baseball-sized hail by 17:20 UTC in Illinois and, shortly thereafter, in St. Louis, Missouri, which reported a very severe thunderstorm early in the afternoon that, while not producing a tornado, was the costliest storm to hit the city up to that time. By 19:50 UTC, supercells producing F3 tornadoes hit the Decatur and Normal areas in Illinois. As thunderstorms moved into the warmer, moister air mass over eastern Illinois and Indiana, they produced longer-lived tornadoes—one of which began near Otterbein and ended near Valentine in Indiana, a distance of 121 mi km. Continued activity Meanwhile, by 00:00 UTC the southern half of the first convective band became indistinguishable from new convection that had formed farther south over Alabama and Tennessee in connection with convective band two. In this area, increasing west-southwesterly wind shear at all levels of the troposphere, juxtaposed over near-parallel outflow boundaries, allowed successive supercells, all producing strong, long-tracked tornadoes, to develop unconstrained by their outflow in a broad region from eastern Mississippi to southern Tennessee. These storms, forming after 23:00 UTC, produced some of the most powerful tornadoes of the outbreak, including a large and long-tracked F4 that struck the western and central portions of Alabama, tracking for just over 110 mi km, two F5s that both slammed into Tanner, causing extensive fatalities, an extremely potent F5 that devastated Guin in Alabama, and multiple violent, deadly tornadoes that affected and caused fatalities in Tennessee. April 4 thumb|257x257px|Surface weather analysis on April 4 Michigan was not hit as hard as neighboring states or Windsor, although one deadly tornado hit near Coldwater and Hillsdale, killing people in mobile homes; however, thunderstorm downpours caused flash floods, and north of the warm front in the Upper Peninsula, heavy snowfall was reported. Activity in the south moved towards the Appalachians during the overnight hours and produced the final tornadoes across the southeast during the morning of April 4.Grazulis 1990 A series of studies by Dr. Tetsuya T. Fujita in 1974–75—which were later cited in a 2004 survey by Risk Management Solutions—found that three-quarters of all tornadoes in the 1974 Super Outbreak were produced by 30 'families' of tornadoes—multiple tornadoes spawned in succession by a single thunderstorm cell. The majority of these were long-lived and long-tracked individual supercells.Fujita T. T. Jumbo tornado outbreak of 3 April 1974 Weatherwise 1974 27 3 116–26 10.1080/00431672.1974.9931693 1974Weawi..27c.116F Confirmed tornadoes List of tornadoes in the 1974 Super Outbreak + Daily statistics during the 1974 Super OutbreakVarious National Weather Service Forecast Offices National Centers for Environmental Information April 9, 2023 [United States Tornado Events for April 3–4, 1974] https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/listevents.jsp?eventType=%28C%29+Tornado&beginDate_mm=04&beginDate_dd=03&beginDate_yyyy=1974&endDate_mm=04&endDate_dd=04&endDate_yyyy=1974&hailfilter=0.00&tornfilter=0&windfilter=000&sort=DT&submitbutton=Search&statefips=-999%2CALL January 8, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220108160829/https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/listevents.jsp?eventType=(C)+Tornado&beginDate_mm=04&beginDate_dd=03&beginDate_yyyy=1974&endDate_mm=04&endDate_dd=04&endDate_yyyy=1974&hailfilter=0.00&tornfilter=0&windfilter=000&sort=DT&submitbutton=Search&statefips=-999,ALL live DateTotalFujita scale ratingnb Fujita The Fujita Scale (F-scale) was used to rate tornado damage from its introduction in the late-1970s through February 1, 2007, when it was succeeded by the Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF-scale). Tornado ratings were retroactively applied to events prior to the formal adoption of the F-scale by the National Weather Service.Roger Edwards James G. LaDue John T. Ferree Kevin Scharfenberg Chris Maier William L. Coulbourne Tornado Intensity Estimation: Past, Present, and Future Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society May 1, 2013 94 5 641–653 10.1175/BAMS-D-11-00006.1 American Meteorological Society 2013BAMS...94..641E https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/94/5/bams-d-11-00006.1.xml March 19, 2025 March 23, 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250319103811/https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/94/5/bams-d-11-00006.1.xml live641–642DeathsInjuries F0  F1  F2  F3  F4  F5  April 3130 12 24 33 31 23 7 10–11211–254 April 419 6 8 2 3 0 0 Total149 F018 F132 F235 F334* F423 F57310–3355,454–6,142 Note: An F3 tornado was confirmed in Ontario. thumb|A graphic made by the Storm Prediction Center on the 50th anniversary of the Super Outbreak This tornado outbreak produced the most violent (F4 and F5) tornadoes ever observed in a single tornado outbreak. There were seven F5 tornadoesRoger Edwards Roger Edwards (meteorologist) What was the biggest outbreak of tornadoes? http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/#History The Online Tornado FAQ (by Roger Edwards, SPC) Storm Prediction Center January 19, 2013 March 23, 2012 March 2, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120302230203/http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/#History live and 23 F4 tornadoes. More than 100 tornadoes associated with 33 tornado families.Fujita Abbey 1983 37–66 The first tornado of the outbreak is disputed, with some sources indicating an isolated F2 in Indiana at 13:30 UTC while Fujita marked the outbreak's onset at 18:10 UTC with an F0 in Illinois. As the storm system moved east where daytime heating had made the air more unstable, the tornadoes grew more intense. A tornado that struck near Monticello, Indiana was an F4 and had a path length of 121 mi km, the longest path length of any tornado for this outbreak. A total of 19 people were killed in this tornado.Data from the Storm Prediction Center archives, which are accessible through free software https://web.archive.org/web/20070713175109/http://www.spc.noaa.gov/software/svrplot2/ July 13, 2007 created and maintained by John Hart, lead forecaster for the SPC. The first F5 tornado of the day struck the city of Depauw, Indiana, at 3:20 pm EDT. It killed 6 and injured 86 others along its 65-mile path, leveling and sweeping away homes in Depauw and Daisy Hill.Grazulis 1990 Seven F5 tornadoes were observed—one each in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, three in Alabama and the final one which crossed through parts of Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. Thirty-one people were killed in Brandenburg, Kentucky, and 28 died in Guin, Alabama. An F3 tornado also occurred in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, killing nine and injuring 30 others there, all of them at the former Windsor Curling Club.Ontario F3 https://www.windsorpubliclibrary.com/?page_id=62820 Windsor Public Library July 16, 2020 July 17, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200717080615/https://www.windsorpubliclibrary.com/?page_id=62820 live There were 18 hours of nearly continuous tornado activity that ended in Caldwell County, North Carolina, at about 7:00 am on April 4. A total of 319 were killed in 148 tornadoes from April 3 through April 4 and 5,484 were injured. The 1974 Super Outbreak occurred at the end of a very strong, nearly record-setting La Niña event. The 1973–74 La Niña was just as strong as the 1998–99 La Niña. Despite the apparent connection between La Niña and two of the largest tornado outbreaks in United States history, no definitive linkage exists between La Niña and this outbreak or tornado activity in general.http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/ensostuff/ensofaq.shtml Climate Prediction Center – ENSO FAQ Cpc.ncep.noaa.gov April 26, 2012 October 26, 2015 May 2, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200502083245/https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/ensostuff/ensofaq.shtml live Some tornado myths were soundly debunked (not necessarily for the first time) by tornado activity during the outbreak.Slattery, Pat TORNADO OUTBREAK OPENED EYES ABOUT MYTHS, SCHOOL SAFETY NOAA http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/storms/myths.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20100611082639/http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/storms/myths.html June 11, 2010 The most prolific and longest-lasting tornado family of the outbreak tracked from central Illinois and the entirety of northern Indiana from 2:47 p.m. – 6:59 p.m. (UTC−05:00), a span of 4 hours and 12 minutes. Eight tornadoes touched down, including the longest-tracked single tornado of the outbreak: the 121 mi km on F4 Monticello tornado.Fujita Abbey 1983 37–66 However, that tornado may itself have been composed of three individual F4 tornadoes.Grazulis 1990 Depauw–Martinsburg–Daisy Hill, Indiana Depauw–Martinsburg–Daisy Hill, Indiana April 3, 1974, 2:16 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00) April 3, 1974, 3:25 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00) 1 hour and 9 minutes 1974 Martinsburg tornado.jpg 300 The un-condensed tornado seen shortly after leaving Depauw as seen from New Salisbury, Indiana atl F5 6 fatalities, 76 injuries left|thumb|Damage near Depauw, Indiana. This was the first in a series of five consecutive violent tornadoes produced by a single supercell from southern Indiana into extreme northern Kentucky and then southwestern Ohio, it was also the first F5 tornado out of the seven during the outbreak.Ted Fujita The University of Chicago National Weather Service April 1975 April 17, 2023 Superoutbreak Tornadoes of April 3–4, 1974 https://www.weather.gov/images/iln/events/19740403/fujita_bigmap.jpg JPG April 18, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230418202359/https://www.weather.gov/images/iln/events/19740403/fujita_bigmap.jpg liveFujita Abbey 1983 54 The tornado initially touched down south of Huffman around 2:16 p.m. CDT and moved along an east-northeast to northeast path.Fujita Abbey 1983 50Grazulis 1990 547 One person died near the origin point when their mobile home was destroyed. Southeast of Branchville, one person died and another was injured while sheltering in a ditch. The bus they were previously in was thrown 50 ft m on into the ditch and crushed them. In Crawford County, the tornado grew to over 1 mi km on. It skirted by several smaller communities but completely destroyed many rural farms. It struck southeastern portions of Depauw, killing one person.Grazulis 1990 547 While moving through Depauw, no condensation funnel was observed with the tornado despite its intensity and remained that way as it moved into Martinsburg.Grazulis 1990 549 Another person was killed east of Palmyra. In Washington County, the tornado moved directly through Martinsburg, destroying 38 out of 48 homes in the town.Grazulis 1990 547 The Indianapolis News described the town as "for all practical purposes is no longer there". Numerous trees were completely stripped of their branches and debarked. The tornado soon struck Daisy Hill where several homes were completely swept away. It ultimately dissipated near New Liberty around 3:25 p.m. CDT after traveling 62 mi km on.Fujita Abbey 1983 50Grazulis 1990 547 Decatur, Illinois Decatur, Illinois 1974 Decatur, Illinois damage.jpg 300 Aerial photo showing damage to homes in Decatur April 3, 1974, 2:30 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00) 20 minutes April 3, 1974, 2:50 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00) F3 1 fatality, ≥26 injuries $3.2 million (1974 USD) This tornado touched down just north of the Sangamon River and traveled along an east-northeast trajectory, damaging several homes as it moved toward Decatur.National Centers for Environmental Information 1974 Storm Data https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-39815419-4ED4-4D48-B20C-AF02AE8BD508.pdf April 9, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230409193755/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-39815419-4ED4-4D48-B20C-AF02AE8BD508.pdf 16 4 March 24, 2025 live4 Residents in the area reported two funnels as the tornado intensified. Many homes were damaged near Wyckles Corners in western Decatur.4 Many trees were left "mangled and twisted" in the area. After crossing the cloverleaf interchange between I-72 and US 51, it moved across a sparsely populated area of farmland. The few homes that were struck in this area were obliterated as aerial surveys shows concrete slabs and exposed basements and debris strewn across open fields. The tornado then traversed IL-121 and struck the Macon County Fairgrounds.Tom Witherspoon The Decatur Daily Review April 4, 1974 April 30, 2023 Tornado Hit 3 Major Areas https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123814907/ 5 Newspapers.com Near the Fairgrounds, one person was killed and another was injured when their mobile home was thrown into a tree and torn apart.Tom Witherspoon The Decatur Daily Review April 4, 1974 April 30, 2023 Fairground Trailer Sit Hard to Find After Storm https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123815076/ 5 Newspapers.com At the Macon County Fairgrounds an exhibit housing 21 boats and 2 campers was destroyed and three barns were destroyed; losses reached $100,000. Along Shadow Lane, 26 homes were heavily damaged and 8 others were impacted.Bob Sampson The Decatur Daily Review April 4, 1974 April 30, 2023 Horror on Shadow Lane Recalled https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21799141/ 4 Newspapers.com A section of a concrete bridge was dislodged and lifted at a construction site along I-72. Across its path, the tornado destroyed 55 homes and damaged 106 others with total losses amounting to $3.2 million. A total 26 people were hospitalized but the full extent of injuries is unspecified.4Grazulis 1990 547National Weather Service Forecast Office in Lincoln, Illinois Mississippi State University May 7, 2023 NWS Lincoln Tornado Database https://www.midsouthtornadoes.msstate.edu/index.php?cw=iln May 7, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230507200604/https://www.midsouthtornadoes.msstate.edu/index.php?cw=iln live The tornado struck Decatur without warning around 2:45 p.m. CST. A severe thunderstorm warning was issued at 2:43 p.m., tornado sirens were sounded at 2:48 p.m., and a tornado warning wasn't issued until 2:56 p.m. by which time the tornado had cleared Decatur and dissipated near US 51.Glen R. Cooper The Decatur Daily Review April 4, 1974 April 30, 2023 1 Dead, 26 Injured In Tornado's Wake https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123810412/1-dead-26-injured-in-tornados-wake/ 46 Newspapers.com April 30, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230430210808/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123810412/1-dead-26-injured-in-tornados-wake/ live Fujita Abbey 1983 50 Local police established two command posts and dispatched officers, including off duty and auxiliary, to Decatur for patrol duties. Fifteen firefighters were deployed to check for fires and assist with downed wires while the street division assisted with debris removal. Representative Edward Rell Madigan (R-IL) pledged all possible assistance to victims. Electrical service was restored to the city by 8:00 a.m. on April 4, with the exception of 35 homes. Cablevision service remained offline due to damaged wires.The Decatur Daily Review April 4, 1974 April 30, 2023 Services Hit; Restored Today https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123812261/ 46 Newspapers.com The American Red Cross set up a relief headquarters at Boling Springs Church of God with two coordinators assisting victims with federal assistance paperwork. A canteen operated by the Salvation Army provided food and Catholic Charities distributed clothing. The Council of Community Services was likely to head long-term relief efforts.Judy Tatham The Decatur Daily Review April 4, 1974 April 30, 2023 Agencies Aid Victims https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123812509/ 46 Newspapers.com All roads in the city were cleared by April 5. The tornado prompted the addition of additional procedures to an in-the-works emergency preparedness program which would now include the Inspection and Public Works Department. Faster emergency medical response was identified as a pressing issue and plans to have a mobile headquarters were made.Geln R. Cooper The Decatur Daily Review April 5, 1974 April 30, 2023 Unsafe Houses Posted https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123820470/ 60 Newspapers.com The Macon County Fairgrounds president sought state aid to repair the facility.Rex Spires The Decatur Daily Review April 4, 1974 April 30, 2023 Fair Unit Will Seek State Aid https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123811980/ 46 Newspapers.com On April 5, 300–400 volunteers, including farmers from DeWitt and Moultrie Counties, gathered at the Fairgrounds to help with clean up across the city. Heavy machinery was used by city crews in the hardest-hit areas while the volunteers focused on less damaged areas. Volunteer work concluded on April 7 with more than 2,000 people assisting during the four-day period.The Decatur Daily Review April 7, 1974 April 30, 2023 Tornado Cleanup Campaign Completed https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123822749/ 3 Newspapers.com Several people suffered cuts from sheet metal while clearing debris.David L. Mahsman The Decatur Daily Review April 5, 1974 April 30, 2023 Volunteers Start Cleanup Effort https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123820960/ 60 Newspapers.com The tornado was described as the worst to ever hit Decatur.Jim Hopwood The Decatur Daily Review April 4, 1974 April 30, 2023 Tornado Worst in City History; None Killed in Four Previous https://www.newspapers.com/clip/25600913/ 55 Newspapers.com Parker City, Indiana tornado family The Parker City, Indiana tornado family 1974 Kennard Tornado.jpg 300 The second tornado of the family near Knightstown, Indiana. This tornado would later strike the town of Kennard. 1 hour, 8 minutes April 3, 1974, 2:50 p.m. (UTC−05:00) April 3, 1974, 3:58 p.m. (UTC−05:00) 2 54 Indiana >$10 million (1974 USD) 3 confirmed 1 hour, 8 minutes F4 284 mph 3 0 0 0 1 2 0 no These three tornadoes in east-central Indiana were part of the seventh tornado family described by Abbey and Fujita 1981.Fujita Abbey 1983 37–66 Agee et al. 1976 described it as a Type II-A family, indicating cyclical tornadoes that turn left as a new tornado forms. Twin circulations rotated around within the supercell as the tornadoes formed and dissipated.Agee Snow Clare 1976 553–554 Observations of the storm indicated a broad wall cloud with a smaller "pedestal cloud" extending down throughout its existence. A clear condensation funnel was not always observed, but the pedestal cloud would periodically descend and merge with debris clouds rising from the ground. Agee et al. 1976 estimated the condensation funnel to have reached 300 m yd flip on at the ground with damaging winds extending 1000 yd ft on flip.Agee Snow Clare 1976 555 The parent supercell was initially observed over central Indiana, with a funnel cloud sighted around 2:15 p.m. CDT to the northeast of Bloomington in Monroe County. A larger funnel cloud was observed over Johnson County from 2:20 to 2:30 p.m CDT.5Agee Snow Clare 1976 554 At 2:50 p.m. CDT, the first tornado of the family touched down near Fairland in Shelby County.Fujita Abbey 1983 50 The tornado struck Fountaintown, destroying 11 homes. Twenty-five people were injured,Grazulis 1990 548 five of whom required hospitalization.The Muncie Star April 4, 1974 May 14, 2023 Greenfield Hospital Treated 30 Persons https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-star-press/124674071/ 9 Newspapers.com May 14, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230514202202/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-star-press/124674071/ live It continued along a northeast to north-northeast path into Hancock County and struck Stringtown around 3:07 p.m. CDT. A church had its roof torn off, five homes were damaged, and a bus was lofted into a tree.The Indianapolis April 4, 1974 May 16, 2023 Stringtown Church Smashed By Tornado https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-news/124823160/ 5 Newspapers.com May 16, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230516224123/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-news/124823160/ live The tornado subsequently dissipated at 3:10 p.m. CDT after traveling 17 mi km on. It was rated F3 at its peak.Fujita Abbey 1983 50 The Storm Data publication states this tornado was larger than the subsequent F4 tornado, with a width of 1 mi km on; Grazulis lists a mean width of 400 yd m on.Grazulis 1990 548 As the tornado hooked left and dissipated, a new tornado formed farther east at 3:02 p.m. CDT to the southwest of Charlottesville in Hancock County.Fujita Abbey 1983 50National Weather Service Forecast Office in Indianapolis, Indiana Mississippi State University May 7, 2023 NWS Indianapolis Tornado Database https://www.midsouthtornadoes.msstate.edu/index.php?cw=ind April 11, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230411024911/https://www.midsouthtornadoes.msstate.edu/index.php?cw=ind live It initially moved on a northeast trajectory and the O'Neal Trailer Court about 2 mi km on south of Charlottesville along the Hancock-Rush County line. All eleven mobile homes were obliterated,Rushville Republican April 4, 1974 Several Injured As Tornado Hits County Newspapers.com 1 https://web.archive.org/web/20241127215018/https://www.newspapers.com/article/rushville-republican/124820100/ November 27, 2024 , 2 https://web.archive.org/web/20241130140608/https://www.newspapers.com/article/rushville-republican/124820186/ November 30, 2024 with debris scattered up to 1 mi km on away; only bent frames of two and part of a third were found while the remainder were completely swept away. At least seven people were injured here, many found in ditches across the street. East of Charlottesville along US 40, a two-story brick home was leveled with only the entry steps left behind.Steve Denney Anderson Daily Bulletin April 4, 1974 'The house can be replaced, my family can't' Newspapers.com 1 https://web.archive.org/web/20230516220147/https://www.newspapers.com/article/anderson-daily-bulletin/124819034/ May 16, 2023 , 2 https://web.archive.org/web/20230517014146/https://www.newspapers.com/article/anderson-daily-bulletin/124819052/ May 17, 2023 Heading toward Knightstown, it abruptly turned more to the north and bypassed the town to the west resulting in damage to only a few homes. As it continued across southwestern Henry County, it struck a truck stop near I-70 and IN 109 before traversing rural farmland. Two vehicles, one being a semi-trailer, were thrown from I-70.Associated Press The Kokomo Tribune April 4, 1974 May 14, 2023 The sound of sirens https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-kokomo-tribune/124674432/ 32 Newspapers.com May 14, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230514202200/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-kokomo-tribune/124674432/ live Farmsteads were entirely leveled and trees were uprooted. Damage across Rush County was estimated at $5 million. It then moved directly through Grant City in Henry County, destroying 11 of the town's 25 homes and damaging the rest. Four people were injured in the community.Grazulis 1990 548 After crossing more farmland, newspaper reports indicate the tornado lifted as it approached Kennard, only to touch back down on the west side of town. Kennard suffered extensive damage with 70 percent of the town damaged or destroyed; much of the northern portion of town was severely damaged. Homes in the town were leveled, with 48 destroyed overall, and the upper half of a two-story brick elementary school was swept awayGrazulis 1990 548 A pregnant woman was injured and subsequently had a premature birth; the infant did not survive. Seventeen people were injured.Grazulis 1990 548 Northeast of Kennard, more farms were damaged. Between Mount Summit and Mooreland, the ceiling of a high school collapsed.Larry Lough The Muncie Star April 4, 1974 Pupils Huddle in School Basement While Tornado Crumples Kennard Newspapers.com 1, 8 https://web.archive.org/web/20250224125340/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-star-press/124671711/ February 24, 2025 The tornado dissipated at 3:20 p.m. CDT after traveling 20 mi km on. It was rated F4 at its peak.Fujita Abbey 1983 50 The final tornado originated near US 35 around 3:35 p.m. CDT and traveled north-northeast.Fujita Abbey 1983 50Grazulis 1990 549 Between Parker City and Farmland along SR 32, the tornado reached a width of 1 mi km on and featured four vortices circulating around each other.Grazulis 1990 549Agee Snow Clare 1976 554 Based on video evidence, Grazulis approximated the tornado may have had winds of 210 mph km/h on aloft within one of the vortices. This was based on the forward speed of the tornado, the velocities of the smaller vortices rotating around the mean center of the tornado, their velocity rotating around each other.Grazulis 1990 551 In this area the Monroe Central Junior-Senior High School (a large, steel-reinforced building) was mostly destroyed.Grazulis 1990 549 The Muncie Star stated "a greater tragedy was avoided" as hundreds of students were dismissed to go home just 20 minutes before the tornado struck. Only the principal and several teachers remained, taking refuge in the boiler room. All east-facing walls and large portions of the roof of the school collapsed. Nine cars were thrown into the building from the parking lot. Damage to the school alone was estimated at $3–7 million. On the other side of SR 32, 5 homes were destroyed and 14 others were damaged.Dan Luzadder The Muncie Star April 4, 1974 April 30, 2023 Twister Demolishes Monroe Central https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123828169/ 1 Newspapers.com One person was killed here. Throughout the path, wide swaths of trees were stripped of their branches and debarked.Grazulis 1990 548 The tornado dissipated at 3:58 p.m. CDT after traveling 22 mi km on; it was rated F4 at its peak.Fujita Abbey 1983 50 Collectively, the tornadoes killed 2 people, injured 54, and inflicted well over $10 million in damage.Grazulis 1990 548–549National Weather Service Forecast Office in Louisville, Kentucky 1974 May 14, 2023 Details Concerning 7 Primary Tornado Tracks in Indiana on April 3, 1974 https://www.weather.gov/media/lmk/pdf/apr3_1974/details_concerning_7_primary_tornado_tracks_in_indiana_on_april_3_1974.pdf December 6, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20221206201629/https://www.weather.gov/media/lmk/pdf/apr3_1974/details_concerning_7_primary_tornado_tracks_in_indiana_on_april_3_1974.pdf live The Carthage Volunteer Fire Department set up clothing donations for victims in Charlottesville and the Red Cross provided food.Rushville Republican April 4, 1974 Clothing, Other Items Needed For People In Charlottesville Tornado Newspapers.com 1 https://web.archive.org/web/20250224094755/https://www.newspapers.com/article/rushville-republican/124819826/ February 24, 2025 , 2 In the immediate aftermath, emergency responders in Kennard were unable to coordinate due to the lack of a command center. Looting was reported before county police arrived. An estimated 300 sightseers clogged roadways into the community. Fifty-eight members of the National Guard arrived in Kennard for search and rescue and clean up. The Red Cross assisted residents with applying for relief aid, with 20 volunteers arriving within a day of the tornado.Connie Staton Anderson Daily Bulletin April 4, 1974 County units assist in Kennard cleanup Newspapers.com 1 https://web.archive.org/web/20230517024229/https://www.newspapers.com/article/anderson-daily-bulletin/124818222/ May 17, 2023 , 2 https://web.archive.org/web/20230517015855/https://www.newspapers.com/article/anderson-daily-bulletin/124818651/ May 17, 2023 Displaced persons were sheltered at a community center and elementary school in Greensboro.Charles Kennedy The Muncie Star April 4, 1974 May 14, 2023 Rescuers, Sightseers Jam Kennard After Storm https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-star-press/124673039/ 8 Newspapers.com May 14, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230514200656/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-star-press/124673039/ live Hanover–Madison, Indiana Hanover-Madison, Indiana April 3, 1974, 3:19 p.m. CDT (UTC-5:00) 47 minutes April 3, 1974, 4:06 p.m. CDT (UTC-5:00) 1974 Hanover tornado (Photo 1).jpg 300 The tornado approaching Hanover, Indiana F4 11 fatalities, 190 injuries $35 million (1974 USD) As the Depauw F5 tornado weakened, the same supercell spawned a second tornado to the east at 3:19 p.m. just northeast of Henryville in Clark County. It moved generally east-northeast and entered Scott County, killing one person there.Grazulis 1990 548 As the tornado approached Chelsea, it grew to an estimated 0.75 to 1 mi km on wide and swept away many homes. Doctors at the Madison State Hospital observed two funnels merge as the tornado struck Hanover. Hanover College was largely destroyed; a few students were injured and damage to the college alone reached $10 million.Grazulis 1990 548 At a housing development in Hanover, 71 of the community's 75 homes were leveled with a state trooper likening the destruction to an "[atomic] bomb testing ground".Associated Press Muncie Evening Press April 5, 1974 May 16, 2023 How do you start tornado cleanup? https://www.newspapers.com/article/muncie-evening-press/124817524/ 7 Newspapers.com May 16, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230516212554/https://www.newspapers.com/article/muncie-evening-press/124817524/ live The tornado reached its peak strength as it struck Madison where large, expensive homes were completely destroyed. Roughly 300 homes were destroyed in northern Madison and seven people were killed.Grazulis 1990 548National Weather Service Forecast Office in Louisville, Kentucky Mississippi State University May 7, 2023 NWS Louisville Tornado Database https://www.midsouthtornadoes.msstate.edu/index.php?cw=iln May 7, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230507200604/https://www.midsouthtornadoes.msstate.edu/index.php?cw=iln live The six-story Indiana-Kentucky Electric Company Clifty Creek Power Plant was almost completely leveled north of Madison, with only three smokestacks left standing amid a two-story pile of debris. A large swath of trees were "snapped and crushed" nearby the plant.Pat Traub The Indianapolis News April 5, 1974 Only Smokestacks Mark Where Power Plant Stood Newspapers.com 1 https://web.archive.org/web/20241129230556/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-news/124265487/ November 29, 2024 , 4 The Madison State Hospital suffered $600,000 in damage, with one patient and several maintenance buildings were destroyed.The Indianapolis Star April 6, 1974 May 8, 2023 Madison Hospital Damage $600,000 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-star/124275442/ 4 Newspapers.com Three people were killed near China.Grazulis 1990 548 A total of 11 people were killed, 190 others were injured, and damage reached $35 million.Grazulis 1990 548 Doctors from the damaged Madison State Hospital were sent to Hanover to assist victims; 30 people were rescued from basements. The hospital provided shelter for 29 residents.http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lmk/?n=tornado_climatology_april31974 Louisville, KY Crh.noaa.gov October 26, 2015 December 3, 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131203014636/http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lmk/?n=tornado_climatology_april31974 live The tornado had a peak width of 700 - 1760 yd m.Indiana F5 http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/19740403.18.5 Tornado History Projects Storm Prediction Center July 16, 2020 July 5, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200705172641/http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/19740403.18.5 usurped US Department of Commerce NOAA Tornado Listing https://www.weather.gov/lmk/tornado_list weather.gov July 24, 2020 EN-US July 24, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200724210354/https://www.weather.gov/lmk/tornado_list live Hardinsburg–Irvington–Brandenburg, Kentucky/Mauckport, Indiana 1974 Brandenburg tornado Hardinsburg–Irvington–Brandenburg, Kentucky/Mauckport, Indiana April 3, 3:30 p.m. CDT (UTC-5:00) 52 minutes April 3, 4:22 p.m. CDT (UTC-5:00) Brandenburg Aerial after tornado.jpg 300 Aerial photo showing Brandenburg, Kentucky, after the tornado F5 31 fatalities, 257 injuries $2.5 millionKentucky Event Report: F5 Tornado https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/storm-events-database/event-details/10032288 NOAA Storm Events Database May 7, 2022 January 8, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220108160839/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/storm-events-database/event-details/10032288 live left|thumb|Remains of a house that was completely swept away in Brandenburg, with heavily debarked trees and shrubbery in the foreground. This deadly and violent tornado, which produced F5 damage and took 31 lives, touched down in Breckinridge County around 3:30 pm CDT and followed a 34 mi km on path.Grazulis 1990 The tornado first moved across the north edge of Hardinsburg, inflicting F3 damage to homes at that location. The tornado quickly became violent as it moved into Meade County, producing F4 damage as it passed north of Irvington, sweeping away numerous homes in this rural area. Vehicles were thrown hundreds of yards from residences and mangled, and a few were completely wrapped around trees. One home that was swept away sustained total collapse of a poured concrete walk-out basement wall.http://www.april31974.com/don_macy_photos_of_april_3_1974.htm Don Macy Photos of April 3, 1974 April31974.com April 3, 1974 August 31, 2013 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20130522061627/http://www.april31974.com/don_macy_photos_of_april_3_1974.htm May 22, 2013 A news photographer reported that the tornado "left no grass" as it crossed KY 79 in this area, and canceled checks from near Irvington were later found in Ohio. Past Irvington, the tornado tore directly through Brandenburg at F5 intensity, completely leveling and sweeping away numerous homes, some of which were well-built and anchor-bolted.Grazulis 1990 The town's downtown area was also devastated with 18 of the fatalities occurring along Green Street alone. Anonymous Our Meade County Heritage : Forward and Dedication The Meade County Messenger http://www.april31974.com/our_meade_county_heritage.htm October 30, 2006 October 18, 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20061018173726/http://www.april31974.com/our_meade_county_heritage.htm dead Trees and shrubbery in town were debarked and stripped, extensive wind-rowing of debris occurred, and numerous vehicles were destroyed as well, some of which had nothing left but the frame and tires. A curtain rod was found speared deeply into the trunk of one tree in town.http://www.weather.gov/lmk/?n=april31974 April 3, 1974 weather.gov April 18, 2013 September 29, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150929024115/http://www.weather.gov/lmk/?n=april31974 live Several tombstones in the Cap Anderson cemetery were toppled and broken, and some were displaced a small distance. Exiting Brandenburg, the tornado crossed into Indiana producing F4 damage east of Mauckport before dissipating. The same storm would later produce tornadoes in the Louisville metro area.Grazulis 1990 When the tornado struck on April 3, 1974, many of the Brandenburg residents at that time had also experienced a major flood of the Ohio River that affected the area in 1937 as well as numerous other communities along the river, including Louisville and Paducah. The Brandenburg tornado is the only tornado to have officially produced documented F5/EF5 damage in the state of Kentucky, with the 1971 Gosser Ridge, Kentucky tornado being rated F5 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, before being downgraded to F4 after 2000.Violent Tornadoes in Kentucky https://www.weather.gov/lmk/violent_tornadoes_kentucky National Weather Service, Louisville May 7, 2023 May 7, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230507161534/https://www.weather.gov/lmk/violent_tornadoes_kentucky live Bellbrook–Xenia–Wilberforce, Ohio 1974 Xenia tornado Bellbrook-Xenia-Wilberforce, Ohio April 3, 4:33 p.m. EDT (UTC−04:00) 39 minutes April 3, 5:12 p.m. EDT (UTC−04:00) Fred Stewart's Xenia Photo.png 300 The Xenia tornado tearing through the southeast Pinecrest Garden district 305 mph km/h on F5 34 fatalities, 1,150 injuries $100 million (1974 USD) NCDC Storm Data for the 1974 Xenia tornado NOAA's finalized damage survey and analysis The tornado that struck the city of Xenia, Ohio stands as the deadliest individual tornado of the entire outbreak, killing 32 people and destroying a significant portion of the town.Grazulis 1990 The tornado formed near Bellbrook, Ohio, southwest of Xenia, at about 4:30 pm EDT. It began as a moderate-sized tornado, then intensified while moving northeast at about 50 mph km/h on. The tornado exhibited a multiple-vortex structure and became very large as it approached town. The massive tornado slammed into the western part of Xenia, completely flattening the Windsor Park and Arrowhead subdivisions at F5 intensity, and sweeping away entire rows of brick homes with little debris left behind in some areas. Extensive wind-rowing of debris occurred in nearby fields.http://www.erh.noaa.gov/iln/events/19740403/aerial.php Aerial Damage Photographs April 1, 2013 NWS Wilmington, OH NOAA August 31, 2014 April 11, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140411220519/http://www.erh.noaa.gov/iln/events/19740403/aerial.php live When the storm reached central Xenia at 4:40 pm, apartment buildings, homes, businesses, churches, and schools including Xenia High School were destroyed. Students in the school, practicing for a play, took cover in the main hallway seconds before the tornado dropped a school bus onto the stage where they had been practicing and extensively damaged the school building.Grazulis 1990Rosenfield Jeffrey Eye of The Storm: Inside the World's Deadliest Tornadoes, Hurricanes, and Blizzards. 2003 Basic Books 978-0738208916 320 Several railroad cars were lifted and blown over as the tornado passed over a moving Penn Central freight train in the center of town. It toppled headstones in Cherry Grove Cemetery, then moved through the length of the downtown business district, passing west of the courthouse (which sustained some exterior damage). Numerous businesses in downtown Xenia were heavily damaged or destroyed, and several people were killed at the A&W Root Beer stand as the building was flattened. Upon exiting Xenia, the tornado passed through Wilberforce, heavily damaging several campus and residential buildings of Wilberforce University.Ohio Historical Society April 3, 1974: Xenia Tornado http://www.ohiohistory.org/etcetera/exhibits/swio/pages/content/1974_tornado.htm Ohiohistory.org October 26, 2015 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20130927202926/http://www.ohiohistory.org/etcetera/exhibits/swio/pages/content/1974_tornado.htm September 27, 2013 Central State University also sustained considerable damage, and a water tower there was toppled. Afterwards, the tornado weakened before dissipating in Clark County near South Vienna, traveling a little over 30 mi km. A total of 32 people lost their lives in the tornado, and about 1,150 were injured in Xenia, several of whom took proper shelter. In addition to the direct fatalities, two Ohio Air National Guardsmen deployed for disaster assistance were killed on April 17 when a fire swept through their temporary barracks in a furniture store. The memorial in downtown Xenia lists 34 deaths, in honor of the two Guardsmen.http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=53867 April 3, 1974 Xenia Tornado Memorial Marker Hmdb.org April 18, 2013 December 2, 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131202230027/http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=53867 live https://books.google.com/books?id=QANPLARGXFMC&q=1974+xenia+cincinnati+tornado&pg=PA283 Thunder in the Heartland: A Chronicle of Outstanding Weather Events in Ohio Thomas W. Schmidlin Jeanne Appelhans Schmidlin 283–288 August 9, 1996 Kent State University Press Google Books March 14, 2019 9780873385497 January 26, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240126042733/https://books.google.com/books?id=QANPLARGXFMC&q=1974+xenia+cincinnati+tornado&pg=PA283#v=snippet&q=1974%20xenia%20cincinnati%20tornado&f=false live About 1,400 buildings (roughly half of the town) were heavily damaged or destroyed. Damage was estimated at US$100 million ($471.7 million in 2013 dollars).http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/ Inflation Calculator | Find US Dollar's Value from 1913 to 2015 Usinflationcalculator.com October 26, 2015 October 28, 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131028120632/http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/ live Dr. Ted Fujita and a team of colleagues undertook a 10-month study of the 1974 Super Outbreak. Fujita initially assigned the Xenia tornado a preliminary rating of F6 intensity ± 1 scale, https://www.weather.gov/media/ohx/PDF/fujita_april31974.pdf Fujita T. Theodore Jumbo Tornado Outbreak of 3 April 1974 1974 September 4, 2020 October 1, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20201001234232/https://www.weather.gov/media/ohx/PDF/fujita_april31974.pdf live before deeming F6 ratings "inconceivable". Rising Sun, Indiana/Taylorsport, Kentucky/Cincinnati (Sayler Park), Ohio 1974 Cincinnati tornado Tri-State (Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio) April 3, 1974, 4:28 p.m. CDT (UTC-5:00) 23 minutes April 3, 1974 4:51 p.m. CDT (UTC-5:00) 1974 Sayler Park F5.jpg 300 The tornado as it approached Sayler Park in Cincinnati, Ohio > 261 mph km/h on F5 3 fatalities, 219 injuries This small and violent tri-state tornado was part of a series of tornadoes that earlier struck portions of southern Indiana from north of Brandenburg, Kentucky, into southwest Ohio. This tornado was witnessed on television by thousands of people, as WCPO aired the tornado live during special news coverage of the tornadoes.http://www.fox19.com/story/21875633/tri-state-remembers-sayler-park-tornado-of-1974 Tri-State remembers Sayler Park Tornado of 1974 Steve Horstmeyer fox19.com April 4, 2013 March 14, 2019 April 7, 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190407005344/http://www.fox19.com/story/21875633/tri-state-remembers-sayler-park-tornado-of-1974/ live It began shortly before 4:30 pm CDT or 5:30 pm EDT in southeastern Indiana in Ohio County north of Rising Sun near the Ohio River. It then traveled through Boone County, Kentucky, producing F4 damage in the Taylorsport area before crossing the Ohio River a second time into Ohio. Here, the tornado reached F5 intensity as it slammed into Sayler Park.https://books.google.com/books?id=9x4DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA66 It's Not the Heat, It's The... Cincinnati Magazine December 1995 Horstmeyer, Steve 66 March 14, 2018 January 26, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240126042624/https://books.google.com/books?id=9x4DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA66#v=onepage&q&f=false live At a further inland area of Sayler Park, the tornado maintained F5 intensity as numerous homes were swept away at a hilly area near a lake, with only bare slabs remaining. NWS surveyors noted that a pickup truck in this area was carried a half block over the roofs of five homes before being smashed to the ground.April 19, 1974 Tornado Outbreak April 3–4, 1974 http://www.erh.noaa.gov/iln/events/19740403/CVG_Summary.pdf live https://web.archive.org/web/20140413132108/http://www.erh.noaa.gov/iln/events/19740403/CVG_Summary.pdf April 13, 2014 April 9, 2013 NWS Wilmington NOAA The tornado took three lives and injured 210; 190 of the injuries were in Hamilton County, Ohio alone.Indiana-Kentucky-Ohio F5 http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/19740403.18.14 Tornado History Projects Storm Prediction Center July 16, 2020 July 4, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200704161649/http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/19740403.18.14 usurped It was considered the most-photographed tornado of the outbreak.Grazulis 1990 This tornado dissipated west of White Oak, but the same thunderstorm activity was responsible for two other tornado touchdowns in the Lebanon and Mason areas. The Mason tornado, which started in the northern Cincinnati subdivisions of Arlington Heights and Elmwood Place, was rated F4 and took two lives, while the Warren County tornado was rated an F2 and injured 10.Grazulis 1990 Louisville–Buckner, Kentucky Louisville-Buckner, Kentucky 1974 Louisville tornado from Bowman Airfield.jpg 300 The Louisville tornado as seen from Bowman Field April 3, 1974, 4:37 p.m. CDT (UTC-5:00) 22 minutes April 3, 1974, 4:59 p.m. CDT (UTC-5:00) F4 3 fatalities, 207 injuries left|thumb|Major damage in the Northfield neighborhood of Louisville, including a vehicle partially wrapped around a tree. About an hour after the Brandenburg tornado, the same supercell spawned an F4 tornado that formed in the southwest part of Jefferson County near Kosmosdale. Another funnel cloud formed over Standiford Field Airport, touched down at The Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center, and destroyed the majority of the horse barns at the center and part of Freedom Hall (a multipurpose arena) before it crossed I-65, scattering several vehicles on that busy expressway. The tornado continued its 22 mi km on journey northeast where it demolished most of Audubon Elementary School and affected the neighborhoods of Audubon, Cherokee Triangle, Cherokee-Seneca, Crescent Hill, Indian Hills, Northfield, Rolling Fields, and Tyler Park. Numerous homes were destroyed in residential areas, including a few that were leveled. The tornado ended near the junction of Interstates 264 and 71 after killing three people, injuring 207 people, destroying over 900 homes, and damaging thousands of others. Cherokee Park, a historic 409 acre km2 on municipal park located at Eastern Parkway and Cherokee Road, had thousands of mature trees destroyed. A massive re-planting effort was undertaken by the community in the aftermath of the tornado.Grazulis 1990 Dick Gilbert, a helicopter traffic reporter for radio station WHAS-AM, followed the tornado through portions of its track including when it heavily damaged the Louisville Water Company's Crescent Hill pumping station, and gave vivid descriptions of the damage as seen from the air. U.S. Information Agency Day of the Killer Tornadoes National Archives and Records Administration https://archive.org/details/gov.archives.arc.54353 1978 A WHAS-TV cameraman also filmed the tornado when it passed just east of the Central Business District of Louisville. WHAS-AM broke away from its regular programming shortly before the tornado struck Louisville and was on-air live with John Burke, the chief meteorologist at the National Weather Service's Louisville office at Standiford Field when the tornado first descended. The station remained on the air delivering weather bulletins and storm-related information until well into the early morning hours of April 4.http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lmk/?n=april31974 Louisville, KY Crh.noaa.gov October 26, 2015 December 17, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141217194726/http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lmk/?n=april31974 live As electrical power had been knocked out to a substantial portion of the city, the radio station became a clearinghouse for vital information and contact with emergency workers, not only in Louisville but across the state of Kentucky due to its 50,000-watt clear-channel signal and the fact that storms had knocked numerous broadcasting stations in smaller communities, such as Frankfort, off the air. Then-Governor Wendell Ford commended the station's personnel for their service to the community in the time of crisis, and Dick Gilbert later received a special commendation from then-President Richard Nixon for his tracking of the tornado from his helicopter.http://www.gilbertfoundation.org/ Our History The Gilbert Foundation October 26, 2015 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20151018230626/http://www.gilbertfoundation.org/ October 18, 2015 Monticello–Rochester, Indiana Monticello–Rochester, Indiana April 3, 1974, 4:47 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00) 2 hours April 3, 1974, 6:47 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00) Monticello tornado damage.jpg 300 A church in Monticello after the tornado F4 18 fatalities, 362 injuries $250 million This half-mile (0.8 km) wide F4 tornado developed (as part of a tornado family that moved from Illinois to Michigan for 260 miles) during the late afternoon hours. This tornado produced the longest damage path recorded during the outbreak, on a southwest to northeast path that nearly crossed the entire state of Indiana. According to most records (including the presented map of north Indiana), this tornado formed just southwest of Otterbein in northeast Warren County in west central Indiana, and ended in LaGrange County just northwest of Valentine – a total distance of about 121 mi km. Further analysis by Ted Fujita indicated that at the start of the tornado path near Otterbein, downburst winds (also called "twisting downburst") disrupted the tornado's inflow which caused it to briefly dissipate before redeveloping near Brookston in White County at around 4:50 pm EDT and then traveled for 109 mi km. NWS Northern Indiana The Monticello Tornado NOAA http://www.crh.noaa.gov/iwx/?n=superoutbreak March 16, 2009 May 9, 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090509080831/http://www.crh.noaa.gov/iwx/?n=superoutbreak live It also struck portions of six other counties, with the hardest hit being White County and its town of Monticello. Much of the town was destroyed including the courthouse, some churches and cemeteries, 40 businesses and numerous homes as well as three schools. It also heavily damaged the Penn Central bridge over the Tippecanoe River. Overall damage according to the NOAA was estimated at US$250 million with US$100 million damage in Monticello alone.Grazulis 1990http://www.crh.noaa.gov/iwx/?n=superoutbreak Northern Indiana Crh.noaa.gov October 26, 2015 December 3, 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131203011737/http://www.crh.noaa.gov/iwx/?n=superoutbreak live After the tornado struck Monticello, the tornado reached peak strength and completely leveled several farms northwest of town. The tornado then went on to tear through the west side of Rochester, where businesses were destroyed and homes were completely leveled and swept away. Riddle Elementary School was badly damaged as well. The tornado then struck Talma, destroying most of the town, including a fastening plant and the schoolhouse. The tornado continued northeast and struck the south sides of Atwood and Leesburg, with additional severe damage occurring at both locations. The tornado then crossed Dewart Lake and Lake Wawasee, destroying multiple lakeside homes and trailers. The Wawasee Airport was hard hit, where hangars were destroyed and planes were thrown and demolished. The tornado destroyed several buildings as it passed between Ligonier and Topeka, including Perry School and a Monsanto plant. Train cars near the plant were blown off the tracks and thrown into the building. The tornado then finally dissipated near Oliver Lake airfield. A total of 18 people were killed during the storm including five people from Fort Wayne when their mini-bus fell 50 ft m into the Tippecanoe River near Monticello. One passenger did survive the fall.Anonymous Monticello, Indiana April 3, 1974: Fort Wayne Girl Survives Van's Plunge The Monticello Herald Journal http://www.april31974.com/monticelloin_page2.htm#Business%20District%20Sustained%20Major%20Damage October 30, 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20061018173858/http://www.april31974.com/monticelloin_page2.htm#Business%20District%20Sustained%20Major%20Damage October 18, 2006 dead Five others were killed in White County, six in Fulton County and one in Kosciusko County.Storm Events NOAA http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~storms October 30, 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20110505093502/http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwEvent~Storms May 5, 2011 dead The National Guard had assisted the residents in the relief and cleanup efforts and then-Governor Otis Bowen visited the area days after the storm. One of the few consolations from the tornado was that a century-old bronze bell that belonged to the White County Courthouse and served as timekeeper was found intact despite being thrown a great distance.Anonymous Monticello, Indiana April 3, 1974: 122-year-old Bell Survives The Monticello Herald Journal http://www.april31974.com/monticelloin_page3.htm#122-year-old%20Bell%20Survives October 30, 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20061105110808/http://www.april31974.com/monticelloin_page3.htm#122-year-old%20Bell%20Survives November 5, 2006 dead The tornado itself had contradicted a long-time myth that a tornado would "not follow terrain into steep valleys" as while hitting Monticello, it descended a 60 ft m on hill near the Tippecanoe River and heavily damaged several homes immediately afterwards. Moulton-Trinity-Tanner, Alabama 1974 Tanner tornadoes#Moulton–Trinity–Tanner, Alabama (First tornado) Moulton-Trinity-Tanner, Alabama April 3, 1974, 6:20 p.m. CDT (UTC-5:00) 61 minutes April 3, 1974, 7:21 p.m. CDT (UTC-5:00) 1974 Trinity tornado.jpg 300 The tornado seen in Decatur F5 28 fatalities, 267 injuries As the cluster of thunderstorms was crossing much of the Ohio Valley and northern Indiana, additional strong storms developed much further south just east of the Mississippi River into the Tennessee Valley and Mississippi. It produced the first deadly tornadoes in Alabama during the early evening hours. Most of the small town of Tanner, located to the west of Huntsville and south of the Limestone County seat of Athens, was destroyed when two F5 tornadoes struck the community 30 minutes apart. The first tornado formed at 6:20 pm CDT in Lawrence County, Alabama and ended 61 minutes later in Madison County, Alabama, killing 28 people. The tornado first touched down near the small community of Mt. Hope,http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hun/?n=toryear1974 NWS Huntsville 1974 Tornadoes Srh.noaa.gov October 26, 2015 December 3, 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131203035847/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hun/?n=toryear1974 and then tracked into Mt. Moriah, where the tornado rapidly intensified and swept away homes and hurled fleeing vehicles, and where a family of six were killed. Further along the track, many homes were swept away near Moulton.Taylor Dwight The Sky Turned a Funny Orange Florence Times April 4, 1974 Florence, Alabama 1 In one case, the destruction was so complete that a witness reported that the largest recognizable objects among scattered debris from an obliterated house were some bed-springs.Times Daily pg 66 – Google News Archive Search https://web.archive.org/web/20151018215826/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=ie8Y0QrpMWAC&dat=19740403&printsec=frontpage&hl=en October 18, 2015 ; accessed October 26, 2015. The tornado crossed into Morgan County, causing additional destruction in rural areas near Hillsboro and Trinity.http://www.srh.noaa.gov/images/hun/stormsurveys/1974-04-03/reports_documents/A%20Night%20To%20Remember.pdf Roving Reporter R. L. Shirley Srh.noaa.gov October 26, 2015 September 24, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150924122859/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/images/hun/stormsurveys/1974-04-03/reports_documents/A%20Night%20To%20Remember.pdf live The tornado then continued into Madison County and struck the Capshaw and Harvest areas.Grazulis 1990 Numerous homes in Harvest and surrounding rural areas of the county were swept completely away and scattered, and extensive wind-rowing of debris was noted. A bathtub from one residence was found deeply embedded into the ground. Past Harvest, the tornado abruptly dissipated northeast of town, having a peak width of 500 yards.http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hun/?n=madisonal_grounddam_1974_aniv Madison County Damage Pictures on the Ground March 29, 2014 NWS Huntsville, AL NOAA March 30, 2014 March 30, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140330221748/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hun/?n=madisonal_grounddam_1974_aniv livehttp://www.srh.noaa.gov/hun/?n=aer_zoom_nw Never Before Seen Aerial Pictures of Tornado Damage Taken by Madison County, AL March 29, 2014 NWS Huntsville, AL NOAA March 30, 2014 March 30, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140330220312/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hun/?n=aer_zoom_nw live Jasper–Cullman–Fairview, Alabama Jasper-Cullman-Fairview, Alabama April 3, 1974, 6:44 p.m. CDT (UTC-5:00) 2 hours, 4 minutes April 3, 1974, 8:48 p.m. CDT (UTC-5:00) Jasper1974.PNG 300 Heavy damage to buildings in downtown Jasper F4 3 fatalities, 178 injuries While tornadoes were causing devastation in the northwesternmost corner of the state, another supercell crossing the Mississippi-Alabama state line produced another violent tornado that touched down in Pickens County before heading northeast for just over 2 hours towards the Jasper area causing major damage to its downtown as the F4 storm struck. Damage was reported in Cullman from the storm before it lifted.http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/storms/alabama.html NOAA and the 1974 Tornado Outbreak – Alabama Publicaffairs.noaa.gov April 18, 2013 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20130407184815/http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/storms/alabama.html April 7, 2013 The Jasper tornado first touched near Aliceville, producing scattered damage as it tracked northeastward. The damage became more intense and continuous as the tornado entered Tuscaloosa County. The tornado continued to strengthen south of Berry, and two people were killed near the Walker County line when a church was destroyed. The tornado tore directly through downtown Jasper at 6:57 PM, resulting in severe damage and at least 100 injuries. Numerous buildings and storefronts were heavily damaged in downtown Jasper, and many streets were blocked with trees and power lines.http://www.srh.noaa.gov/images/hun/media/1974/April%203,%201974%20%20A%20Night%20to%20Remember.pdf A Night to Remember Jordan Charles March 29, 2014 NWS Huntsville, AL NOAA October 21, 2014 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20160303185947/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/images/hun/media/1974/April%203%2C%201974%20%20A%20Night%20to%20Remember.pdf March 3, 2016 The Walker County courthouse sustained major damage, and a new fire station was completely leveled. The fireman on duty at the time took shelter in a nearby large culvert, and survived without injury. The Walker County Library and the Jasper First Methodist Church were also damaged. The tornado crossed Lewis Smith Lake and moved across the south side of Cullman at 7:40 pm. Multiple homes and shopping centers were damaged or destroyed in the area, resulting in one death and 36 injuries. The tornado finally dissipated northeast of Cullman a short time later.http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hun/?n=toryear1974 NWS Huntsville 1974 Tornadoes Srh.noaa.gov April 18, 2013 December 3, 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131203035847/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hun/?n=toryear1974 live In total, the storm took three lives, but injured one hundred and fifty residents of Jasper or Cullman. Five hundred buildings were destroyed, with nearly four hundred other buildings severely damaged. At the same time, a third supercell was crossing the state line near the track of the previous two. Tanner-Harvest-Hazel Green, Alabama/Flintville, Tennessee 1974 Tanner tornadoes#Tanner–Harvest–Hazel Green, Alabama/Flintville, Tennessee (Second tornado) Tanner-Harvest-Hazel Green, Alabama/Flintville, Tennessee April 3, 1974 7:30 p.m. CDT (UTC-5:00) 55 minutes April 3, 1974, 8:25 p.m. CDT) (UTC-5:00) 1974 Harvest F5 tornado.png 300 The tornado as seen near Harvest, Alabama F5 22–27 fatalities, 250–270 injuries left|thumb|Extreme damage near Harvest, Alabama. While rescue efforts were underway to look for people under the destroyed structures, few were aware that another violent tornado would strike the area. The path of the second tornado, which formed at 7:30 pm CDT, was at least 50 miles in length and had a peak width of 500 yards. The storm formed along the north bank of the Tennessee River less than a mile from the path of the earlier storm; with much of its path very closely paralleling its predecessor as it tore through Limestone and Madison Counties. 16 people were killed by this second tornado. Tanner was the first community to be hit, and many structures that were left standing after the first tornado were destroyed in the second one. A man injured at Lawson's Trailer Park in the first tornado was taken to an area church, which collapsed in the second tornado, killing him.Grazulis 1990 After devastating what was left of Tanner, the tornado continued across rural Limestone County and into Madison County, where the communities of Capshaw and Harvest were devastated once again.NWS Birmingham The April 3rd and 4th 1974 Tornado Outbreak in Alabama NOAA http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx/significant_events/1974/april_1974_superoutbreak/index.php https://web.archive.org/web/20080623173514/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx/significant_events/1974/april_1974_superoutbreak/index.php June 23, 2008 March 22, 2006 Numerous homes throughout Madison County were swept completely away, with extensive wind-rowing of debris noted once again. Past Harvest, the tornado swept away multiple additional homes in the Hazel Green area. The tornado continued northeastward through rural portions of Madison County before crossing into Tennessee, where major damage and 6 deaths occurred in Franklin and Lincoln Counties before the tornado dissipated in Coffee County. Two of the fatalities in Tennessee occurred when a church was destroyed during service.http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hun/?n=f5 NWS Huntsville F5 or EF5 Tornadoes Srh.noaa.gov October 26, 2015 November 17, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151117024819/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hun/?n=f5 live The death toll from the two tornadoes was over 45 and over 400 were injured. Most of the fatalities occurred in and around the Tanner area. Over 1,000 houses, 200 mobile homes and numerous other outbuildings, automobiles, power lines and trees were completely demolished or heavily damaged. The most recent official National Weather Service records show that bothAlabama Tornado Database—Year 1974 Tornadoes http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx/?n=tornadodb_1974 Alabama Tornado Database National Weather Service January 17, 2013 Birmingham, Alabama 2012 July 31, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120731130417/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx/?n=tornadodb_1974 livehttp://www.emforum.org/vlibrary/lc010321.htm 3/21/01 EIIP Virtual Forum Transcript: The Lawrence County Supercell, the Forgotten F5 Emforum.org June 16, 2010 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20100927055027/http://emforum.org/vlibrary/lc010321.htm September 27, 2010 of the Tanner tornadoes were rated F5.Storm Prediction Center F5 Tornadoes of the United States: 1950–present NOAA http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/f5torns.html October 30, 2006 September 30, 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20060930144117/http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/f5torns.html live However, the rating of the second Tanner tornado is still disputed by some scientists; analysis in one publication estimates F3-F4 damage along the entirety of the second storm's path.Grazulis 1990 Caledonia, Mississippi/Guin-Yampertown-Delmar, Alabama 1974 Guin tornado Caledonia, Mississippi/Guin-Yampertown-Delmar, Alabama April 3, 1974, 8:25 p.m. CDT (UTC-5:00) 2 hours, 5 minutes April 3, 1974, 10:30 p.m. CDT (UTC-5:00) Guin Alabama damage.jpg 300 Damage to the center of Guin, Alabama, after the tornado 285 mph km/h on F5 28 fatalities, 272 injuries left|thumb|Satellite image showing the scar of the Guin tornado through Guin and the William B. Bankhead National Forest This fast-moving nighttime tornado, which devastated the town of Guin in Alabama, was the longest lasting F5 tornado recorded in the outbreak, and considered to be one of the most violent ever recorded. The tornado traveled over 135 mi km, from the town of Caledonia, Mississippi, to just south of the small town of Basham, Alabama, before lifting just after 10:55 pm CDT.Grazulis 1990 It formed at around 8:25 pm CDT near the Mississippi-Alabama border, near the town of Caledonia, Mississippi, before quickly moving into Alabama, and striking striking the Monterey Trailer Park, resulting in major damage at that location. The tornado then became violent as it approached and entered Guin, with multiple areas of F5 damage noted in and around town.Grazulis 1990 The tornado first struck the Guin Mobile Home Plant as it entered the town, completely obliterating the structure. The town's downtown area was also heavily damaged, with many brick businesses and two churches completely destroyed. Trees in town were debarked, ground scouring occurred, and vehicles were thrown and mangled as well. Residential areas in Guin suffered total devastation, with many homes swept completely away and scattered across fields.Scene looks like work of monster https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NxkfAAAAIBAJ&dq=guin&pg=5698%2C658032 September 15, 2013 The Tuscaloosa News April 5, 1974 Tuscaloosa, Alabama December 22, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20221222023634/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NxkfAAAAIBAJ&dq=guin&pg=5698,658032 live According to NWS damage surveyor Bill Herman, the damage in one 6-block area was particularly extreme, and remarked that "It was just like the ground had been swept clean. It was just as much of a total wipeout as you can have."Few signs remain of tornado's fury https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8UoeAAAAIBAJ&pg=3385,327355&dq=bill+herman+guin+tornado&hl=en The Times Daily April 3, 1994 Unknown October 24, 2020 January 26, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230126211844/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8UoeAAAAIBAJ&pg=3385,327355&dq=bill+herman+guin+tornado&hl=en live Surveyor J.B. Elliot noted that the destruction was so complete, that even some of the foundations were "dislodged, and in some cases swept away." A total of 23 people were killed in Guin.Elliott, J.B. October 13, 2006 April 3–4 Superoutbreak of tornadoes motion picture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJoMcJUc6yg https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/CJoMcJUc6yg December 12, 2021 live January 4, 2013 ABC33/40 Alabama The tornado continued past Guin and struck the small community of Yampertown (now known as Twin), destroying numerous homes, mobile homes, and businesses at that location, though the damage was less intense than that observed in Guin. Crossing into Winston County, the tornado struck the small community of Delmar, destroying additional homes and killing 5 people. Mobile homes in Delmar were obliterated, with their frames wrapped around trees. Past Delmar, the tornado grew up to a mile wide as it tore through the William B. Bankhead National Forest, flattening a huge swath of trees. Surveyors noted that timber damage was equally severe at all elevations in this area, with numerous trees snapped both along exposed ridges and in deep gorges. So many trees were snapped in this area that the tornado path was visible from satellite. The tornado finally dissipated south of Basham after destroying 546 structures. Redstone Arsenal–Huntsville, Alabama Redstone Arsenal–Huntsville, Alabama April 3, 1974, 10:24 p.m. CDT (UTC-5:00) 51 minutes April 3, 1974, 11:15 p.m. CDT (UTC-5:00) 1974 Redstone Arsenal tornado.jpg 300 The tornado being illuminated by power flashes as it tracked through Huntsville F3 2 fatalities, 7 injuries Huntsville was affected shortly before 11:00 pm EDT by a strong F3 tornado produced by the same thunderstorm that produced the Guin tornado. This tornado produced heavy damage in the south end of the city, eventually damaging or destroying nearly 1,000 structures.Dennis Sherer TimesDaily Florence, AL B1 Night of April 3, 1974, marked change in severe weather alerts, preparedness https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=g_shAAAAIBAJ&pg=1409,304037&dq=national-weather-service+radio+huntsville&hl=en April 3, 2004 March 20, 2010 July 28, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220728133447/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=g_shAAAAIBAJ&pg=1409,304037&dq=national-weather-service+radio+huntsville&hl=en live The tornado touched down north of Hartselle and moved northeast toward Huntsville. It first hit the Redstone Arsenal, damaging or destroying numerous buildings at that location. But thanks to early warning from an MP picket line on Rideout Road (now Research Park Boulevard (SR 255)), there were only seven, relatively minor, injuries. One of the buildings destroyed was a publications center for the Nuclear Weapons Training School on the Arsenal. For months afterwards, portions of classified documents were being returned by farmers in Tennessee and Alabama. Many homes were badly damaged or destroyed as the tornado passed through residential areas of the city, and a school was destroyed as well.Grazulis 1990 Many businesses were also heavily damaged, and numerous trees and power lines were downed throughout the city. The Glenn'll trailer park was completely destroyed by the tornado, and some sources list a fatality occurring at that location. The tornado then reached Monte Sano Mountain, which has an elevation of 1,640 ft m, where additional homes were torn apart.NOAA and the 1974 Tornado Outbreak NOAA http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/storms/alabama.html February 4, 2008 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20080130140816/http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/storms/alabama.html January 30, 2008NWS Birmingham Alabama Tornado Database (1974 tornadoes) NOAA http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx/tornadoes/1974.php https://web.archive.org/web/20080408035758/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx/tornadoes/1974.php April 8, 2008 February 5, 2008 The National Weather Service office at Huntsville Jetplex was briefly "closed and abandoned" due to the severe weather conditions. The tornado eventually dissipated near Jacobs Mountain. Remarkable electrical phenomenon was reported as the tornado passed through Huntsville, with reports of luminous clouds, ball lightning, and multi-colored flashes and glowing areas in the sky as the storm moved through the city. These aforementioned flashes were more than likely Power Flashes, which are flashes of light caused by arcing electrical discharges from damaged electrical equipment, most often severed power lines.Grazulis 1990 Non-tornadic effects + Non-tornadic deaths by state State/Province FatalitiesMichigan 2 Nebraska 5 Ohio 1 Oklahoma 1 Virginia 1 Blizzard Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas On April 2–3, a blizzard on the backside of the storm impacted much of eastern Colorado. Schools and highways were closed and utilities were damaged.2 Precipitation started off as rain in the afternoon and transitioned to heavy, wet snow by the evening. Greeley saw 1.45 in cm on of rain and 6.5 in cm on of snow. Kersey observed 2.3 in cm on of rain. Rural areas saw up to 12 in cm on of snow. Eleven accidents occurred because of the rain.Greeley Daily Tribune April 3, 1974 May 1, 2023 Wet snow falls on area https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123868894/ 1 Newspapers.com Blizzard conditions spread into Nebraska where accumulations up to 12 in cm on were piled into snow drifts 7 ft m on high by 60 mph km/h on winds.12 Snowfall reached 10 to 12 in cm on in southwestern Scotts Bluff County.The Lincoln Star April 4, 1974 May 1, 2023 Storm Sweeps State https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123869517/ 1 Newspapers.com Schools across the entire state and many highways were closed. Power outages were widespread and numerous highway accidents led to five fatalities.12Lincoln Evening Journal April 4, 1974 May 1, 2023 Highway Mishaps Kill 3 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123869805/ 11 Newspapers.com Near-blizzard impacted portions of northwestern Kansas, rendering travel extremely hazardous.The Wichita Eagle April 4, 1974 May 1, 2023 Spring Bows to Snow in NW Kansas https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123870665/ 14B Newspapers.com The Citizen-Patriot April 4, 1974 May 1, 2023 Spring Storm Hits Midwest https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123870079/ 1 Newspapers.com Strong winds caused a wall of an under-construction building in Haysville to collapse.7 In the Upper Peninsula, 4 to 12 in cm on of snow fell west of Negaunee and Crystal Falls. One person died from a heart attack while shoveling snow. Freezing rain east of these areas to Munising and Spalding caused numerous traffic accidents. An ice jam along the north shore of Crystal Lake in Benzie County damaged several homes.9 Straight-line winds and flash flooding Oklahoma Severe thunderstorms on April 2 brought winds up to 85 mph km/h on. One person was killed in Durant when his mobile home was rolled. A 318,000 volt power line near Weatherford was damaged, cutting power to the town. Illinois In Sangamon County, Illinois, winds up to 54 mph km/h on were measured at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport and there were unverified reports of 2.5 in cm on diameter hail. Minor wind damage was reported in Fayette County.Dave Petrina The Decatur Daily Review April 4, 1974 April 30, 2023 Twisters Batter Central Illinois https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123815732/ 34 Newspapers.com Georgia Severe thunderstorms on April 4 brought 1 to 3 in cm on of rain to tornado-stricken areas of northwest Georgia. Flash floods were considered a major risk in the region's mountainous terrain.Associated Press The Macon News April 5, 1974 North Georgia Hit Hard By Tornadoes Newspapers.com 1A https://web.archive.org/web/20240126042725/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-macon-news/123543586/ January 26, 2024 2A https://web.archive.org/web/20240126042626/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-macon-news/123543611/ January 26, 2024 Forty people were evacuated from Cedartown when the Big Cedar Creek overflowed and inundated 100 homes.Nick Tatro Associated Press Daily Press April 6, 1974 May 3, 2023 Relief Efforts Flowing To Tornado Refugees https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-press/124024722/ 8 Newspapers.com May 4, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230504055911/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-press/124024722/ live Ohio One person was killed near Cincinnati from a downburst as the F5 Sayler Park tornado moved nearby.Grazulis 1990 550 Michigan One home was destroyed in Monroe.United Press International The Holland Evening Sentinel April 4, 1974 Three Dead As Tornado Strikes Hillsdale County Newspapers.com 1, 21Associated Press The Times Herald April 4, 1974 April 30, 2023 8 killed in Windsor; lower state hard hit https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123841157/ 1 Newspapers.com Flash floods from heavy rain washed out many roads in Sanilac and St. Clair counties.9 About 3 in cm on of rain fell in 2 hours, overwhelming the flood capacity of many culverts; at least 76 culverts and small bridges, some 50 years old, were damaged or destroyed in Sanilac County at a cost of $15,000–20,000.James Donahue The Times Herald April 5, 1974 May 8, 2023 Storm washes out culverts, bridges https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-herald/124261484/ 9A Newspapers.com May 8, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230508181707/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-herald/124261484/ live A sinkhole occurred along M-46. A train was derailed when a bridge was washed away. A mobile home was knocked from its foundation in Port Huron where winds reached 46 mph km/h on.9 Freeway underpasses were flooded in Metro Detroit.Associated Press The Herald-Palladium April 5, 1974 May 8, 2023 Freaky Weather Continues https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-herald-palladium/124260860/ 13 Newspapers.com May 8, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230508180654/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-herald-palladium/124260860/ live Mississippi Hailstones of 2 to 3 in cm on in diameter fell in Columbus, Mississippi.The Clarion-Ledger April 4, 1974 One Hurt In Jones Newspapers.com 1A, 16A https://web.archive.org/web/20250225140302/https://www.newspapers.com/article/clarion-ledger/125075660/ February 25, 2025 North of Columbus, one home had its roof torn off by strong winds.Associated Press The Daily Herald April 4, 1974 May 21, 2023 Killer tornadoes skim Mississippi https://www.newspapers.com/article/sun-herald/125075994/ 21 Newspapers.com May 21, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230521174420/https://www.newspapers.com/article/sun-herald/125075994/ live Near Clayton in Winston County, severe wind damage occurred throughout a 2 mi km on swath. Several farm buildings and homes were damaged and one trailer was destroyed. Many power lines were snapped.10 West Virginia In Alderson, West Virginia, "tornado-like winds" caused extensive damage to homes and businesses primarily along WV 3, some of which had their roof torn off.Beckley Post-Herald April 5, 1974 April 24, 2023 2 Tornadoes Reported In County https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123490910/ 17 Newspapers.com January 26, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240126042627/https://www.newspapers.com/article/beckley-post-herald/123490910/ live Winds were measured up to 62 mph km/h on in Charleston.The Charleston Daily Mail April 4, 1974 May 3, 2023 Charleston Wind Soars: 62 MPH https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charleston-daily-mail/124019306/ 9 Newspapers.com May 4, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230504025249/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charleston-daily-mail/124019306/ live Many trees and power lines were downed leaving more than 7,000 people without electricity. Virginia Widespread wind damage occurred in many counties across western Virginia as a squall line moved through in the morning hours of April 4.20 Five people were injured near Blacksburg in Montgomery County when three mobile homes were rolled up to 50 ft m on and destroyed by high winds. A tractor-trailer was blown off I-81 at Weyers Cave. Lightning struck a radio tower in Radford, temporarily knocking WRAD-FM offline.Associated Press The Bee April 4, 1974 May 3, 2023 Winds Hit Roanoke, Radford, Other Areas https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-bee-april-1974-augusta-co-tornado/15508805/ B1 Newspapers.com May 4, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230504032217/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-bee-april-1974-augusta-co-tornado/15508805/ live One person was killed and another was injured near Hayter in Washington County when their mobile home was destroyed.20 Approximately 5,000 Appalachian Power customers lost electricity. In Bath County, the winds downed hundreds of trees, snapped power poles, and tore the roof off of a church.Associated Press Daily Press April 5, 1974 May 3, 2023 Tornadic Winds Cause Havoc In State https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-press/124023171/ 8 Newspapers.com May 4, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230504051800/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-press/124023171/ live A woman and her three children were evacuated from their home as the Laurel Creek topped its banks. Minor flooding occurred in Grayson County.Ray Reed The Roanoke Times April 5, 1974 Abingdon Man Dies As Trailer Smashed Newspapers.com 1 https://web.archive.org/web/20241127223815/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-roanoke-times/124020119/ November 27, 2024 , 2 https://web.archive.org/web/20250224040753/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-roanoke-times/124020133/ February 24, 2025 As thunderstorms moved across southern New York in the morning hours of April 4, lightning across Long Island, New York City, and Westchester County caused power outages. One bolt set a barn ablaze and damaged four homes.13 Canada The Trout River overtopped its banks along Quebec Route 138 between the Trout River Border Crossing at the US-Canada border to Huntingdon.The Post-Standard April 6, 1974 May 7, 2023 Reopen Rt. 37 After Flood https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-post-standard/124213763/ 27 Newspapers.com May 7, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230507212918/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-post-standard/124213763/ live Aftermath Immediate relief On April 5, Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter declared 13 counties as disaster areas and put in a request to President Nixon for federal aid, citing damage in excess of $15.5 million. Service centers were opened at two National Guard Armories, one in Dalton and the other in Calhoun, as well as a church in Dawsonville.United Press International The Macon Telegraph April 5, 1974 State Damage Near $16 Million; Carter Asks U.S. Disaster Aid Newspapers.com 1A https://web.archive.org/web/20240126042745/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-macon-telegraph/123530935/ January 26, 2024 2A https://web.archive.org/web/20240126042728/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-macon-telegraph/123531034/ January 26, 2024 The National Guard provided four-wheel drive vehicles for search and rescue efforts. West Virginia Governor Moore declared 14 counties as disaster areas by April 5 and requested the assistance of the National Guard. President Nixon approved federal aid for Fayette, Greenbriar, Raleigh, and Wyoming Counties on April 11. Total damage from the tornadoes and thunderstorms in the state reached $3,655,000, more than half of which was incurred by Raleigh County.The Charleston Daily Mail April 11, 1974 April 24, 2023 4 Counties Due Full Tornado Aid https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123497510/ 1A Newspapers.com January 26, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240126042731/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charleston-daily-mail/123497510/ live The West Virginia State Department of Highways provided two water trucks.The Raleigh Register April 5, 1974 April 24, 2023 Area Residents Begin Clearing Up Tornado Wreckage https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123491682/ 6 Newspapers.com The local Red Cross provided $3,000 to victims in Fayette County and assisted residents with acquiring supplies and dealing with medical bills.Beckley Post-Herald April 11, 1974 April 24, 2023 Red Cross Completes Tornado Damage List https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123490036/ 15 Newspapers.com January 26, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240126044138/https://www.newspapers.com/article/beckley-post-herald/123490036/ live Sightseers traveling to look at the damage clogged up roadways. The Federal Disaster Assistance Administration (later FEMA) indicated that trailers refurbished after the 1972 Buffalo Creek flood would be used to house displaced persons.The Raleigh Register April 11, 1974 April 24, 2023 Local Tornado Victims To Get Aid https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123497585/ 1 Newspapers.com November 6, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20231106032847/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-raleigh-register/123497585/ live Congressional response On April 10, voting on the Disaster Relief Act of 1974 was expedited and passed unanimously in the United States Senate in direct response to the scale of damage from the tornado outbreak.Associated Press Beckley Post-Herald April 10, 1974 April 24, 2023 Senate Panel Votes Easier Tornado Aid https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123497401/ 28 Newspapers.com November 6, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20231106032847/https://www.newspapers.com/article/beckley-post-herald/123497401/ live GovTrack April 24, 2023 To Pass S.3062, The Disaster Relief Bill https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/93-1974/s719 April 25, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230425064404/https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/93-1974/s719 live The primary purpose of the act was to overhaul how disasters are handled on a federal level and to make acquiring federal aid easier. Notably, it would prompt the creation of a disaster-coordinating agency.Daniel F. West The Charleston Daily Mail April 13, 1974 April 24, 2023 Relief Bill Refined https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123497637/ 5A Newspapers.com November 6, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20231106032848/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charleston-daily-mail/123497637/ live President Nixon signed it into federal law on May 22.Government of the United States May 22, 1974 April 24, 2023 Public Law 93-288 – May 22, 1974 https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-88/pdf/STATUTE-88-Pg143-2.pdf April 25, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230425064359/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-88/pdf/STATUTE-88-Pg143-2.pdf live See also List of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks Lists of Canadian tornadoes and tornado outbreaks List of tornadoes striking downtown areas of large cities List of F5 and EF5 tornadoes Tornado outbreak of December 10–11, 2021 – One of the deadliest tornado outbreaks in Kentucky's history. 2011 Super Outbreak – A very similar, but larger and deadlier outbreak that occurred in April 2011. Tornado outbreak and derecho of April 1–3, 2024 – A tornado outbreak that affected similar areas almost exactly 50 years later. Notes nb References 30em Sources Fujita T. Theodore Abbey Robert F. Jr. Kessler Edwin 1983 1981 The Thunderstorm in Human Affairs 2nd Norman, Oklahoma University of Oklahoma Press 37–66 Chapter 3: Tornadoes: The Tornado Outbreak of 3–4 April 1974 Grazulis Thomas P. Significant Tornadoes, 1880-1989 July 1990 The Tornado Project of Environmental Films St. Johnsbury, VT 9781879362024 https://archive.org/details/significanttorna0002thom/page/n5/mode/2up Internet Archive Agee E.M. Snow J.T. Clare P.R. Multiple Vortex Features in the Tornado Cyclone and the Occurrence of Tornado Families https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/mwre/104/5/1520-0493_1976_104_0552_mvfitt_2_0_co_2.xml?tab_body=pdf American Meteorological Society Monthly Weather Review April 16, 2025 552–563 May 1, 1976 104 5 10.1175/1520-0493(1976)104<0552:MVFITT>2.0.CO;2 1976MWRv..104..552A free Further reading Statistics of April 3-4, 1974 Tornadoes "Statistics of April 3–4, 1974 Tornadoes" by Dr. Fujita Tornado! the 1974 super outbreak, by Jacqueline A. Ball; consultant, Daniel H. Franck. New York: Bearport Pub., 2005. 32 pages. 1-59716-009-1 (lib. bdg), 1597160326 (paperback). Tornado at Xenia, April 3, 1974, by Barbara Lynn Riedel; photography by Peter Wayne Kyryl. Cleveland, OH, 1974. 95 pages. No ISBN is available. Library of Congress Control Number: 75314665. Tornado alley: monster storms of the Great Plains, by Howard B. Bluestein. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. 180 pages. 0-19-510552-4 (acid-free paper). The widespread tornado outbreak of April 3–4, 1974: a report to the Administrator. Rockville, Md: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1974. 42 pages. There is no ISBN available. Library of Congress Control Number: 75601597. William S. Butler 2004 Tornado: A look back at Louisville's dark day, April 3, 1974. A 30th Anniversary Publication Butler Books 176 pages. 978-1-884532-58-0 Robert E. et al introduction by John Ed Pearce Deitz 1974 April 3, 1974: Tornado! The Courier-Journal and The Louisville Times 128 pages. Library of Congress Catalog Number 74-80806 Mark Levine 2007 F5: Devastation, Survival and the Most Violent Tornado Outbreak of the Twentieth Century Hyperion, New York 307 pages. 978-1-4013-5220-2 https://archive.org/details/f5devastationsur00levi External links Natural Disaster Survey Report: The Widespread Tornado Outbreak of April 3–4, 1974 (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA) US National Weather Service (NWS) weather forecast office webpages April 3, 1974 Superoutbreak (NWS Indianapolis, IN) The Monticello Tornado (NWS Northern Indiana) The Super Outbreak of April 3–4, 1974 (NWS Wilmington, OH) April 3, 1974 Super Outbreak https://www.weather.gov/ohx/19740403 National Weather Service (Nashville, TN) April 15, 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20170128232019/https://www.weather.gov/ohx/19740403 January 28, 2017 April 3, 1974 https://www.weather.gov/lmk/april31974 National Weather Service, Louisville, KY April 15, 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20150411015453/https://www.weather.gov/lmk/april31974 April 11, 2015 The April 3rd and 4th 1974 Tornado Outbreak in Alabama and 1974 Alabama tornado table (NWS Birmingham, AL) NOAA-NWS-NCEP Storm Prediction Center slideshows: The Super Outbreak: Outbreak of the Century and The 3–4 April 1974 Super Outbreak: Outbreak of the Century Tornado Super Outbreak April 3, 1974 website The Weather Channel's Storm of the Century list – #2 The Super Outbreak American Meteorological Society The Super Outbreak: Outbreak of the Century (22nd Conference on Severe Local Storms) Potential insurance losses from a major tornado outbreak: the 1974 Super Outbreak example (22nd Conference on Severe Local Storms) Revisiting the 3–4 April 1974 Super Outbreak of Tornadoes (Weather and Forecasting) Coverage from WHAS-TV and WHAS-AM, Louisville, Kentucky "WHAS Radio Covers the April 3, 1974 Tornado Disaster," excellent-quality recorded coverage of the tornado at LKYRadio.com Super Outbreak 30th Anniversary Special Super Outbreak, 04 Super Outbreak, 04 Super Outbreak, 04 Category:1970s in Cincinnati Category:1974 in Louisville, Kentucky Super Outbreak Category:F5, EF5 and IF5 tornadoes Category:Tornado outbreaks in the United States 04-03 Category:Tornadoes in Ontario Category:Tornadoes in Alabama Category:Tornadoes in Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Tornadoes in Kentucky Category:Tornadoes in Illinois Category:Tornadoes in Indiana Category:Tornadoes in Michigan Category:Tornadoes in Mississippi Category:Tornadoes in New York (state) Category:Tornadoes in North Carolina Category:Tornadoes in Ohio Category:Tornadoes in Tennessee Category:Tornadoes in Virginia Category:Tornadoes in West Virginia Category:Essex County, Ontario Category:History of Cincinnati Category:History of Louisville, Kentucky Category:History of Windsor, Ontario