1974 Super Outbreak

Clockwise from top: Satellite image of the system responsible for the outbreak on April 3; F5 damage inGuin, Alabama after adevastating tornado struck the town; paths of the 148 tornadoes generated in United States during the 1974 Super Outbreak (one tornado was deconfirmed and determined to be a microburst); aerial view of damage inXenia, Ohio after adevastating F5 tornado; radar image ofsupercells in Ohio, including the one that would produce the Xenia tornado
Meteorological history
Duration	April 3–4, 1974
Tornado outbreak
Tornadoes	149 confirmed
Maximum rating	F5 tornado
Duration	1 day, 1 hour, 16 minutes
Highest winds	Tornadic – 305 mph (491 km/h) (Xenia, Ohio F5 on April 3)
Highest gusts	Non-tornadic – 85 mph (137 km/h) inOklahoma
Largest hail	2.5 in (6.4 cm) atAbraham Lincoln Capital Airport,Illinois on April 3(unverified report)
Extratropical cyclone
Lowest pressure	980hPa (mbar); 28.94 inHg
Maximum rainfall	3 inches (7.6 cm) in multiple locations
Blizzard
Maximum snowfall or ice accretion	12 inches (30 cm) in multiple locations inColorado
Overall effects
Fatalities	310–335 fatalities[1][2]
Injuries	5,454–6,142 injuries[2]
Damage	$600 million (1974 USD) $3.97 billion (2024 USD)
Areas affected	Midwestern andSouthern United States,Ontario, Canada
Part of thetornado outbreaks of 1974

The1974 Super Outbreak was one of the most intensetornado outbreaks on record, occurring on April 3–4, 1974, across much of theUnited States. It was one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks in U.S. history. It was also the most violent tornado outbreak ever recorded, with 30violent (F4 or F5 rated) tornadoes confirmed. From April 3–4, there were 148 tornadoes confirmed in 13U.S. states and theCanadian province ofOntario.^{[nb 1]} In the United States, the tornadoes struckIllinois,Indiana,Michigan,Ohio,Kentucky,Tennessee,Alabama,Mississippi,Georgia,North Carolina,Virginia,West Virginia, andNew York. The outbreak caused roughly $600 millionUSD (equivalent to $3.83 billion in 2024) in damage.^[4] The outbreak extensively damaged approximately 900 sq mi (2,331 km²) along a total combined path length of 2,600 mi (4,184 km).^[3][5] At one point, as many as 15 separate tornadoes were occurring simultaneously.^[3][6]

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 the1981 United Kingdom tornado outbreak^[7] and in the United States until the2011 Super Outbreak, the largest outbreak on record by number of tornadoes in a 24-hour period. In 2023, tornado expertThomas P. Grazulis created theoutbreak 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.^[8]

A powerful springtime low pressure system developed across theNorth AmericanInterior Plains onApril 1. While moving into theMississippi andOhio 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 atNOAA and in theNational 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 inKentucky,Alabama, andTennessee. The town ofCampbellsburg, northeast of Louisville, was hard-hit in this earlier outbreak, with a large portion of the town destroyed by an F3.^[9] 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.^[10] On Wednesday, April 3, severe weather watches already were issued from the morning from south of theGreat Lakes, while in portions of the Upper Midwest, snow was reported, with heavy rain falling across central Michigan and much of Ontario.^{[citation needed]}

By 12:00UTC on April 3, a large-scaletrough extended over most of thecontiguous United States, with several modestshortwaves rotating around the broad base of the trough. Themid-latitudelow-pressure center over Kansas continued to deepen to 980 mb (28.94 inHg), and wind speeds at the850-mb level increased to 50 kn (58 mph) (25.7 m/s (93 km/h)) over portions ofLouisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Due to significant moistureadvection, destabilization rapidly proceeded apace; the warm front near theGulf Coastdissipated and thenredeveloped northward over theOhio River valley. Consequently,CAPE levels in the region rose to 1,000J/kg. However, a warm temperature plume in theelevated mixed layer keptthunderstorms from initiating at the surface.^[11] Meanwhile, a largemesoscale convective system (MCS) that had developed overnight inArkansas continued to strengthen due to strong environmentallapse 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 theMississippi Valley. As wind speeds in the troposphere increased,Large-scalelifting overspread thewarm sector. At the same time, the forward-propagating MCS spread into the Tennessee and Ohio valleys, where it evolved into the first of three mainconvection bands that produced tornadoes.^[12] This first convective band moved rapidly northeast, at times reaching speeds of about 60 kn (69 mph) (30.9 m/s (111 km/h)).^[11] However, thunderstorm activity, for the moment, remained mostly elevated in nature.^[12]

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 ofsubsidence over eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia; localdownslope winds over the Appalachians; and aninversion over the same area. These factors allowed the northern part of the MCS to accelerate due to efficientducting, while the southern part slowed as theboundary layer warmed and moistened.^[12] Numerous surface-basedsupercells began to develop in the southern area, beginning with one that produced an F3 tornado at about 16:30 UTC nearCleveland, Tennessee.^[11] 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.^[12] In the wake of the MCS, backing low-level winds, rapid diurnal destabilization, and perhaps cool, mid-leveladvection had occurred over the warm sector, weakening theconvective inhibition (CINH) layer, and favorable wind profiles bolsteredhelicity to over 230 m²/s²—a combination of factors conducive totornadogenesis.^[11] 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, nearDepauw, Indiana.^[12] Several of the storms to form between 19:20 and 20:20 UTC became significant, long-lived supercells, producing many strong or violent tornadoes,^[10] including three F5s at Depauw;Xenia, Ohio; andBrandenburg, Kentucky. These storms formed the second of three convective bands to generate tornadoes.^[12]

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, differentialpositive vorticity advection coincided with the left exit region of an upper-leveljet streak which reached wind speeds of up to 130 kn (150 mph) (66.9 m/s (241 km/h)), thereby enhancing thunderstorm growth.^[11] Storms grew rapidly in height and extent, producing baseball-sized hail by 17:20 UTC in Illinois and, shortly thereafter, inSt. Louis, Missouri, which reported a verysevere thunderstorm early in the afternoon that, while not producing a tornado, was the costliest storm to hit the city up to that time.^[12] By 19:50 UTC, supercells producing F3 tornadoes hit theDecatur andNormal 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 nearOtterbein and ended nearValentine in Indiana, a distance of 121 miles (195 km).^[11]

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-southwesterlywind shear at all levels of the troposphere, juxtaposed over near-paralleloutflow boundaries, allowed successive supercells, all producing strong, long-tracked tornadoes, to develop unconstrained by their outflow in a broad region from easternMississippi to southernTennessee.^[12] 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 ofAlabama, tracking for just over 110 miles (180 km), two F5s that both slammed intoTanner, causing extensive fatalities, an extremely potent F5 that devastatedGuin in Alabama, and multiple violent, deadly tornadoes that affected and caused fatalities in Tennessee.^[11]

Michigan was not hit as hard as neighboring states or Windsor, although one deadly tornado hit nearColdwater andHillsdale, killing people in mobile homes; however, thunderstorm downpours caused flash floods, and north of the warm front in theUpper 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.^[10] 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.^[5] The majority of these were long-lived and long-tracked individual supercells.^[13]

• Note: An F3 tornado was confirmed inOntario.

This tornado outbreak produced the most violent (F4 andF5) tornadoes ever observed in a single tornado outbreak. There were seven F5 tornadoes^[16] and 23 F4 tornadoes. More than 100 tornadoes associated with 33tornado families.^[3] 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 nearMonticello, Indiana was an F4 and had a path length of 121 miles (195 km), the longest path length of any tornado for this outbreak. A total of 19 people were killed in this tornado.^[17] The first F5 tornado of the day struck the city ofDepauw, Indiana, at 3:20 pm EDT. It killed 6 and injured 86 others along its 65-mile path, leveling and sweeping away homes inDepauw andDaisy Hill.^[10]

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 inBrandenburg, Kentucky, and 28 died inGuin, Alabama. An F3 tornado also occurred inWindsor, Ontario,Canada, killing nine and injuring 30 others there, all of them at the former Windsor Curling Club.^[18]

There were 18 hours of nearly continuous tornado activity that ended inCaldwell 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-settingLa 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.^[19] Sometornado myths were soundly debunked (not necessarily for the first time) by tornado activity during the outbreak.^[20]

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 (195 km) F4 Monticello tornado.^[3] However, that tornado may itself have been composed of three individual F4 tornadoes.^[10]

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.^[21][22] The tornado initially touched down south ofHuffman around 2:16 p.m. CDT and moved along an east-northeast to northeast path.^[23][24] One person died near the origin point when their mobile home was destroyed. Southeast ofBranchville, one person died and another was injured while sheltering in a ditch. The bus they were previously in was thrown 50 ft (15 m) into the ditch and crushed them. In Crawford County, the tornado grew to over 1 mi (1.6 km). It skirted by several smaller communities but completely destroyed many rural farms. It struck southeastern portions ofDepauw, killing one person.^[24] While moving through Depauw, no condensation funnel was observed with the tornado despite its intensity and remained that way as it moved into Martinsburg.^[25][26] Another person was killed east ofPalmyra. InWashington County, the tornado moved directly throughMartinsburg, destroying 38 out of 48 homes in the town.^[24]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.^[26] The tornado soon struckDaisy Hill where several homes were completely swept away. It ultimately dissipated nearNew Liberty around 3:25 p.m. CDT after traveling 62 mi (100 km).^[23][24]

This tornado touched down just north of theSangamon River and traveled along an east-northeast trajectory, damaging several homes as it moved toward Decatur.^[27]: 4 Residents in the area reported two funnels as the tornado intensified.^[28] Many homes were damaged near Wyckles Corners in western Decatur.^[27]: 4 Many trees were left "mangled and twisted" in the area.^[29] After crossing thecloverleaf interchange betweenI-72 andUS 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 traversedIL-121 and struck the Macon County Fairgrounds.^[29] Near the Fairgrounds, one person was killed and another was injured when their mobile home was thrown into a tree and torn apart.^[30] At the Macon County Fairgrounds an exhibit housing 21 boats and 2 campers was destroyed and three barns were destroyed; losses reached $100,000.^[31] Along Shadow Lane, 26 homes were heavily damaged and 8 others were impacted.^[32] 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.^{[27]: 4 [24][33]}

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.^[28][23] 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. RepresentativeEdward Rell Madigan (R-IL) pledged all possible assistance to victims.^[28] 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.^[34] 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 theSalvation Army provided food andCatholic Charities distributed clothing. The Council of Community Services was likely to head long-term relief efforts.^[35] 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.^[36] The Macon County Fairgrounds president sought state aid to repair the facility.^[31]

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.^[37] Volunteer work concluded on April 7 with more than 2,000 people assisting during the four-day period.^[38] Several people suffered cuts from sheet metal while clearing debris.^[37] The tornado was described as the worst to ever hit Decatur.^[39]

These three tornadoes in east-central Indiana were part of the seventh tornado family described by Abbey and Fujita 1981.^[3] 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.^[40] Observations of the storm indicated a broadwall 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 330 yd (300 m) at the ground with damaging winds extending 3,000 ft (1,000 yd).^[41] The parent supercell was initially observed over central Indiana, with a funnel cloud sighted around 2:15 p.m. CDT to the northeast ofBloomington inMonroe County. A larger funnel cloud was observed overJohnson County from 2:20 to 2:30 p.m CDT.^{[27]: 5 [42]} At 2:50 p.m. CDT, the first tornado of the family touched down nearFairland inShelby County.^[43][23] The tornado struckFountaintown, destroying 11 homes. Twenty-five people were injured,^[44][43] five of whom required hospitalization.^[45] It continued along a northeast to north-northeast path into Hancock County and struckStringtown 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.^[46] The tornado subsequently dissipated at 3:10 p.m. CDT after traveling 17 mi (27 km). It was rated F3 at its peak.^[23] The Storm Data publication states this tornado was larger than the subsequent F4 tornado, with a width of 1 mi (1.6 km);^[27] Grazulis lists a mean width of 400 yd (370 m).^[44]

As the tornado hooked left and dissipated, a new tornado formed farther east at 3:02 p.m. CDT to the southwest ofCharlottesville in Hancock County.^[23][43] It initially moved on a northeast trajectory and the O'Neal Trailer Court about 2 mi (3.2 km) south of Charlottesville along the Hancock-Rush County line. All eleven mobile homes were obliterated,^[47] with debris scattered up to 1 mi (1.6 km) 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.^[48] Heading towardKnightstown, 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 nearI-70 and IN 109 before traversing rural farmland.^[49] Two vehicles, one being a semi-trailer, were thrown from I-70.^[50] Farmsteads were entirely leveled and trees were uprooted.^[49] Damage across Rush County was estimated at $5 million.^[47] It then moved directly throughGrant City in Henry County, destroying 11 of the town's 25 homes and damaging the rest. Four people were injured in the community.^[44][48] After crossing more farmland, newspaper reports indicate the tornado lifted as it approachedKennard, only to touch back down on the west side of town.^[49] 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 away^[44][49] A pregnant woman was injured and subsequently had apremature birth; the infant did not survive. Seventeen people were injured.^[44][43] Northeast of Kennard, more farms were damaged. BetweenMount Summit andMooreland, the ceiling of a high school collapsed.^[49] The tornado dissipated at 3:20 p.m. CDT after traveling 20 mi (32 km). It was rated F4 at its peak.^[23]

The final tornado originated nearUS 35 around 3:35 p.m. CDT and traveled north-northeast.^[23][25][43] BetweenParker City andFarmland alongSR 32, the tornado reached a width of 1 mi (1.6 km) and featured four vortices circulating around each other.^[25][42] Based on video evidence, Grazulis approximated the tornado may have had winds of 210 mph (340 km/h) 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.^[51] In this area theMonroe Central Junior-Senior High School (a large, steel-reinforced building) was mostly destroyed.^[25]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.^[52] One person was killed here. Throughout the path, wide swaths of trees were stripped of their branches and debarked.^[44] The tornado dissipated at 3:58 p.m. CDT after traveling 22 mi (35 km); it was rated F4 at its peak.^[23]

Collectively, the tornadoes killed 2 people, injured 54, and inflicted well over $10 million in damage.^[53][54] The Carthage Volunteer Fire Department set up clothing donations for victims in Charlottesville and the Red Cross provided food.^[55] 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.^[56] An estimated 300 sightseers clogged roadways into the community. Fifty-eight members of the Nation 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.^[57] Displaced persons were sheltered at a community center and elementary school inGreensboro.^[56]

As the Depauw F5 tornado weakened, the same supercell spawned a second tornado to the east at 3:19 p.m. just northeast ofHenryville in Clark County. It moved generally east-northeast and entered Scott County, killing one person there.^[44] As the tornado approachedChelsea, it grew to an estimated 0.75 to 1 mi (1.21 to 1.61 km) wide and swept away many homes.^[26] Doctors at the Madison State Hospital observed two funnels merge as the tornado struckHanover.^[58]Hanover College was largely destroyed; a few students were injured and damage to the college alone reached $10 million.^[44] 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".^[59]

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.^[44][60] The six-story Indiana-Kentucky Electric CompanyClifty 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.^[26] The Madison State Hospital suffered $600,000 in damage, with one patient and several maintenance buildings were destroyed.^[58] Three people were killed nearChina.^[44][60]

A total of 11 people were killed, 190 others were injured, and damage reached $35 million.^[44] 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.^[58][61] The tornado had a peak width of 700–1,760 yards (640–1,610 m).^[62][63]

Brandenburg, Kentucky

Remains of a house that was completely swept away in Brandenburg, with heavily debarked trees and shrubbery in the foreground
Meteorological history
Formed	April 3, 3:30 p.m.CDT (UTC-5:00)
Dissipated	April 3, 4:22 p.m.CDT (UTC-5:00)
Duration	52 minutes
F5 tornado
on theFujita scale
Overall effects
Casualties	31 fatalities, 257 injuries
Damage	$2.5 million[64]

This deadly and violent tornado, which produced F5 damage and took 31 lives, touched down inBreckinridge County around 3:30 pm CDT and followed a 34-mile (55 km) path.^[10] The tornado first moved across the north edge ofHardinsburg, inflicting F3 damage to homes at that location. The tornado quickly became violent as it moved intoMeade County, producing F4 damage as it passed north ofIrvington, 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.^[65] A news photographer reported that the tornado "left no grass" as it crossedKY 79 in this area, and canceled checks from near Irvington were later found in Ohio.^[65] 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.^[10] The town's downtown area was also devastated with 18 of the fatalities occurring along Green Street alone.^[66] 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.^[67] Severaltombstones in the Cap Andersoncemetery were toppled and broken, and some were displaced a small distance. Exiting Brandenburg, the tornado crossed intoIndiana producing F4 damage there before dissipating.^[63] The same storm would later produce tornadoes in theLouisville metro area.^[10]

When the tornado struck on April 3, 1974, many of the Brandenburg residents at that time had also experienced a majorflood of theOhio River that affected the area in 1937 as well as numerous other communities along the river, including Louisville andPaducah. The Brandenburg tornado is the only tornado to have officially produced documented F5/EF5 damage in the state of Kentucky, with the1971 Gosser Ridge, Kentucky tornado being rated F5 by theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and theNuclear Regulatory Commission, before being downgraded to F4 after 2000.^[68]

Xenia, Ohio

The Xenia tornado tearing through the southeast Pinecrest Garden district
Meteorological history
Formed	April 3, 4:33 p.m.EDT (UTC−04:00)
Dissipated	April 3, 5:12 p.m.EDT (UTC−04:00)
Duration	39 minutes
F5 tornado
on theFujita scale
Highest winds	305 mph (491 km/h)
Overall effects
Casualties	34 fatalities, 1,150 injuries
Damage	$100 million (1974USD)

EnglishWikisource has original text related to this article:

NOAA's finalized damage survey and analysis

The tornado that struck the city ofXenia, Ohio stands as the deadliest individual tornado of the entire outbreak, killing 32 people and destroying a significant portion of the town.^[10] The tornado formed nearBellbrook, 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 (80 km/h). The tornado exhibited amultiple-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.^[69]

When the storm reached central Xenia at 4:40 pm, apartment buildings, homes, businesses, churches, and schools includingXenia 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.^[10][70] Several railroad cars were lifted and blown over as the tornado passed over a movingPenn Central freight train in the center of town.^[71] 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 throughWilberforce, heavily damaging several campus and residential buildings ofWilberforce University.^[71] Central State University also sustained considerable damage, and a water tower there was toppled. Afterwards, the tornado weakened before dissipating inClark County nearSouth Vienna, traveling a little over 30 miles (48 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, twoOhio 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.^[72][73] 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).^[74]

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,^[75] before deeming F6 ratings "inconceivable".

Cincinnati/Sayler Park, Ohio

The Cincinnati/Sayler Park tornado; photo taken near Bridgetown
Meteorological history
Formed	April 3, 1974, 4:28 p.m.CDT (UTC-5:00)
Dissipated	April 3, 1974 4:51 p.m.CDT (UTC-5:00)
Duration	23 minutes
F5 tornado
on theFujita scale
Overall effects
Casualties	3 fatalities, 219 injuries

This small and violent tornado was part of a series of tornadoes that earlier struck portions of southern Indiana from north ofBrandenburg, Kentucky, into southwest Ohio. This tornado was witnessed on television by thousands of people, asWCPO aired the tornado live during special news coverage of the tornadoes.^[73][76] It began shortly before 4:30 pm CDT or 5:30 pm EDT in southeastern Indiana inOhio County north ofRising Sun near theOhio River. It then traveled throughBoone County, Kentucky, producing F4 damage in theTaylorsport area before crossing the Ohio River a second time intoOhio. Here, the tornado reached F5 intensity as it slammed intoSayler Park.^[77] 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.^[78] The tornado took three lives and injured 210 with 190 of the injuries were inHamilton County, Ohio alone.^[79] It was considered the most-photographed tornado of the outbreak.^[76][10]

This tornado dissipated west ofWhite Oak, but the same thunderstorm activity was responsible for two other tornado touchdowns in theLebanon andMason areas. The Mason tornado, which started in the northern Cincinnati subdivisions ofArlington Heights andElmwood Place, was rated F4 and took two lives, while theWarren County tornado was rated an F2 and injured 10.^[10][73]

Louisville, Kentucky

Major damage in the Northfield neighborhood of Louisville, including a vehicle partially wrapped around a tree
Meteorological history
Formed	April 3, 1974, 4:37 p.m.CDT (UTC-5:00)
Dissipated	April 3, 1974, 4:59 p.m.CDT (UTC-5:00)
Duration	22 minutes
F4 tornado
on theFujita scale
Overall effects
Casualties	3 fatalities, 207 injuries

About an hour after the Brandenburg tornado, the same supercell spawned an F4 tornado that formed in the southwest part ofJefferson County nearKosmosdale. Anotherfunnel cloud formed overStandiford Field Airport, touched down atThe Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center, and destroyed the majority of the horse barns at the center and part ofFreedom Hall (a multipurposearena) before it crossedI-65, scattering several vehicles on that busy expressway. The tornado continued its 22-mile (35 km) journey northeast where it demolished most ofAudubon Elementary School and affected the neighborhoods ofAudubon,Cherokee Triangle,Cherokee-Seneca,Crescent Hill,Indian Hills,Northfield,Rolling Fields, andTyler Park. Numerous homes were destroyed in residential areas, including a few that were leveled. The tornado ended near the junction of Interstates264 and71 after killing three people, injuring 207 people, destroying over 900 homes, and damaging thousands of others.Cherokee Park, a historic 409-acre (1.66 km²) municipalpark 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.^[10]

Dick Gilbert, a helicopter traffic reporter for radio stationWHAS-AM, followed the tornado through portions of its track including when it heavily damaged the Louisville Water Company'sCrescent Hill pumping station, and gave vivid descriptions of the damage as seen from the air.^[80] AWHAS-TV cameraman also filmed the tornado when it passed just east of theCentral Business District of Louisville.^[80]

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 theNational 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.^[81] 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 asFrankfort, off the air. Then-GovernorWendell 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-PresidentRichard Nixon for his tracking of the tornado from his helicopter.^[82]

Monticello, Indiana

A portion of Fujita's track analysis focused on the northern portion of the outbreak. The Monticello family consists of tornadoes labeled 7 to 14.
Meteorological history
Formed	April 3, 1974, 4:47 p.m.CDT (UTC−05:00)
Dissipated	April 3, 1974, 6:47 p.m.CDT (UTC−05:00)
Duration	2 hours
F4 tornado
on theFujita scale
Overall effects
Casualties	18 fatalities, 362 injuries
Damage	$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 ofOtterbein in northeastWarren County in west central Indiana, and ended inLaGrange County just northwest ofValentine – a total distance of about 121 miles (195 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 nearBrookston in White County at around 4:50 pm EDT and then traveled for 109 miles (175 km).^[83] It also struck portions of six other counties, with the hardest hit beingWhite County and its town ofMonticello. 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 thePenn Central bridge over theTippecanoe River. Overall damage according to theNOAA was estimated at US$250 million with US$100 million damage in Monticello alone.^[10][84]

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 ofRochester, where businesses were destroyed and homes were completely leveled and swept away. Riddle Elementary School was badly damaged as well. The tornado then struckTalma, destroying most of the town, including a fastening plant and the schoolhouse. The tornado continued northeast and struck the south sides ofAtwood andLeesburg, 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 betweenLigonier andTopeka, including Perry School and aMonsanto 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.^[84]

A total of 18 people were killed during the storm including five people fromFort Wayne when theirmini-bus fell 50 feet (15 m) into theTippecanoe River near Monticello. One passenger did survive the fall.^[85] Five others were killed in White County, six inFulton County and one inKosciusko County.^[86] TheNational Guard had assisted the residents in the relief and cleanup efforts and then-GovernorOtis 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.^[87] 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-foot (18 m) hill near theTippecanoe River and heavily damaged several homes immediately afterwards.^[20]

Tanner, Alabama (1st tornado)

The tornado seen in Decatur
Meteorological history
Formed	April 3, 1974, 6:20 p.m.CDT (UTC-5:00)
Dissipated	April 3, 1974, 7:21 p.m.CDT (UTC-5:00)
Duration	61 minutes
F5 tornado
on theFujita scale
Overall effects
Casualties	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 ofTanner, located to the west ofHuntsville and south of theLimestone County seat ofAthens, was destroyed when two F5 tornadoes struck the community 30 minutes apart.

The first tornado formed at 6:20 pm CDT inLawrence County, Alabama and ended 61 minutes later inMadison County, Alabama, killing 28 people. The tornado first touched down near the small community ofMt. Hope,^[88] 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 nearMoulton.^[89] 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.^[90] The tornado crossed into Morgan County, causing additional destruction in rural areas nearHillsboro andTrinity.^[91] The tornado then continued into Madison County and struck theCapshaw andHarvest areas.^[10] 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.^[92][93]

Jasper/Cullman, Alabama

Heavy damage to buildings in downtown Jasper
Meteorological history
Formed	April 3, 1974, 6:44 p.m.CDT (UTC-5:00)
Dissipated	April 3, 1974, 8:48 p.m.CDT (UTC-5:00)
Duration	2 hours, 2 minutes
F4 tornado
on theFujita scale
Overall effects
Casualties	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 inPickens County before heading northeast for just over 2 hours towards theJasper area causing major damage to its downtown as the F4 storm struck. Damage was reported inCullman from the storm before it lifted.^[94]

The Jasper tornado first touched nearAliceville, producing scattered damage as it tracked northeastward. The damage became more intense and continuous as the tornado enteredTuscaloosa County. The tornado continued to strengthen south ofBerry, and two people were killed near theWalker 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.^[95] 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.^[95] 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.^[96]

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.^[96]

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 theTennessee 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.^[10]

After devastating what was left of Tanner, the tornado continued across rural Limestone County and into Madison County, where the communities ofCapshaw andHarvest were devastated once again.^[88][97] 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 theHazel Green area.^[93] 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.^[98] 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, 200mobile homes and numerous other outbuildings, automobiles, power lines and trees were completely demolished or heavily damaged. The most recent officialNational Weather Service records show that both^[99][100] of the Tanner tornadoes were rated F5.^[86][101] 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.^[10]

Guin-Twin-Delmar, Alabama

A satellite image showing the scar of the Guin tornado through Guin and the William B. Bankhead National Forest
Meteorological history
Formed	April 3, 1974, 8:50 p.m.CDT (UTC-5:00)
Dissipated	April 3, 1974, 10:57 p.m.CDT (UTC-5:00)
Duration	2 hours, 5 minutes
F5 tornado
on theFujita scale
Highest winds	285 mph (459 km/h)
Overall effects
Casualties	28 fatalities, 272 injuries

This fast-moving nighttime tornado, which devastated the town ofGuin 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 79.5 miles (127.9 km), from the town ofVernon, Alabama, to just south of the small town ofBasham, before lifting just after 10:55 pm CDT.^[10] It formed at around 8:50 pm CDT near the Mississippi-Alabama border, north of the town ofVernon, striking the Monterey Trailer Park, resulting in major damage at that location.^[95] The tornado then became violent as it approached and entered Guin, with multiple areas of F5 damage noted in and around town.^[10] 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.^[95] 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.^[102] 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."^[103] 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.^[95][104]

The tornado continued past Guin and struck the small community ofTwin, destroying numerous homes, mobile homes, and businesses at that location, though the damage was less intense than that observed in Guin. Crossing intoWinston County, the tornado struck the small community ofDelmar, destroying additional homes and killing 5 people. Mobile homes in Delmar were obliterated, with their frames wrapped around trees.^[95] Past Delmar, the tornado grew up to a mile wide as it tore through theWilliam 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 ofBasham after destroying 546 structures.^[95]

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.^[105]

The tornado touched down north ofHartselle and moved northeast toward Huntsville. It first hit theRedstone Arsenal, damaging or destroying numerous buildings at that location. But thanks to early warning from an MP picket line on Rideout Road (nowResearch 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.^[10] 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.^[96] The tornado then reachedMonte Sano Mountain, which has an elevation of 1,640 feet (500 m), where additional homes were torn apart.^[106][107] TheNational Weather Service office atHuntsville 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.^[10]

Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas

On April 2–3, ablizzard on the backside of the storm impacted much of easternColorado. Schools and highways were closed and utilities were damaged.^[27]: 2 Precipitation started off as rain in the afternoon and transitioned to heavy, wet snow by the evening.Greeley saw 1.45 in (3.7 cm) of rain and 6.5 in (17 cm) of snow.Kersey observed 2.3 in (5.8 cm) of rain. Rural areas saw up to 12 in (30 cm) of snow. Eleven accidents occurred because of the rain.^[108] Blizzard conditions spread intoNebraska where accumulations up to 12 in (30 cm) were piled into snow drifts 7 ft (2.1 m) high by 60 mph (97 km/h) winds.^[27]: 12 Snowfall reached 10 to 12 in (25 to 30 cm) in southwesternScotts Bluff County.^[109] Schools across the entire state and many highways were closed. Power outages were widespread and numerous highway accidents led to five fatalities.^{[27]: 12 [110]} Near-blizzard impacted portions of northwesternKansas, rendering travel extremely hazardous.^[111][112] Strong winds caused a wall of an under-construction building inHaysville to collapse.^[27]: 7

In theUpper Peninsula, 4 to 12 in (10 to 30 cm) of snow fell west ofNegaunee andCrystal Falls. One person died from a heart attack while shoveling snow.Freezing rain east of these areas toMunising andSpalding caused numerous traffic accidents. Anice jam along the north shore ofCrystal Lake inBenzie County damaged several homes.^[27]: 9

Oklahoma

Severe thunderstorms on April 2 brought winds up to 85 mph (137 km/h). One person was killed inDurant when his mobile home was rolled. A 318,000 volt power line nearWeatherford was damaged, cutting power to the town.^[111]

Illinois

InSangamon County, Illinois, winds up to 54 mph (87 km/h) were measured atAbraham Lincoln Capital Airport and there were unverified reports of 2.5 in (6.4 cm) diameter hail. Minor wind damage was reported inFayette County.^[113]

Georgia

Severe thunderstorms on April 4 brought 1 to 3 in (2.5 to 7.6 cm) of rain to tornado-stricken areas of northwest Georgia. Flash floods were considered a major risk in the region's mountainous terrain.^[114] Forty people were evacuated fromCedartown when the Big Cedar Creek overflowed and inundated 100 homes.^[115]

Ohio

One person was killed near Cincinnati from a downburst as the F5 Sayler Park tornado moved nearby.^[116]

Michigan

One home was destroyed inMonroe.^[117][118] Flash floods from heavy rain washed out many roads inSanilac andSt. Clair counties.^{[27]: 9 [118]} About 3 in (7.6 cm) 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.^[119] A sinkhole occurred alongM-46. A train was derailed when a bridge was washed away. A mobile home was knocked from its foundation inPort Huron where winds reached 46 mph (74 km/h).^{[27]: 9 [118]} Freeway underpasses were flooded in Metro Detroit.^[120]

Mississippi

Hailstones of 2 to 3 in (5.1 to 7.6 cm) in diameter fell inColumbus, Mississippi.^[121] North of Columbus, one home had its roof torn off by strong winds.^[122] NearClayton inWinston County, severe wind damage occurred throughout a 2 mi (3.2 km) swath. Several farm buildings and homes were damaged and one trailer was destroyed. Many power lines were snapped.^[27]: 10

West Virginia

InAlderson, West Virginia, "tornado-like winds" caused extensive damage to homes and businesses primarily alongWV 3, some of which had their roof torn off.^[123] Winds were measured up to 62 mph (100 km/h) inCharleston.^[124] Many trees and power lines were downed leaving more than 7,000 people without electricity.^[123]

Virginia

Widespread wind damage occurred in many counties across western Virginia as a squall line moved through in the morning hours of April 4.^[27]: 20 Five people were injured nearBlacksburg inMontgomery County when three mobile homes were rolled up to 50 ft (15 m) and destroyed by high winds.^[125] A tractor-trailer was blown offI-10 atWeyers Cave. Lightning struck a radio tower inRadford, temporarily knockingWRAD-FM offline.^[126] One person was killed and another was injured nearHayter inWashington County when their mobile home was destroyed.^[27]: 20 Approximately 5,000 Appalachian Power customers lost electricity.^[125] InBath County, the winds downed hundreds of trees, snapped power poles, and tore the roof off of a church.^[127] A woman and her three children were evacuated from their home as the Laurel Creek topped its banks. Minor flooding occurred inGrayson County.^[125]

As thunderstorms moved across southern New York in the morning hours of April 4, lightning acrossLong Island,New York City, andWestchester County caused power outages. One bolt set a barn ablaze and damaged four homes.^[27]: 13

Canada

The Trout River overtopped its banks alongQuebec Route 138 between theTrout River Border Crossing at the US-Canada border toHuntingdon.^[128]

On April 5, Georgia GovernorJimmy 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 inDalton and the other inCalhoun, as well as a church inDawsonville.^[129] The National Guard provided four-wheel drive vehicles for search and rescue efforts.^[114]

West Virginia Governor Moore declared 14 counties as disaster areas by April 5 and requested the assistance of the National Guard.^[130] 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.^[131] The West Virginia State Department of Highways provided two water trucks.^[130] The local Red Cross provided $3,000 to victims in Fayette County and assisted residents with acquiring supplies and dealing with medical bills.^[132] Sightseers traveling to look at the damage clogged up roadways.^[130] The Federal Disaster Assistance Administration (later FEMA) indicated that trailers refurbished after the1972 Buffalo Creek flood would be used to house displaced persons.^[133]

On April 10, voting on theDisaster Relief Act of 1974 was expedited and passed unanimously in theUnited States Senate in direct response to the scale of damage from the tornado outbreak.^[134][135] 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.^[136] President Nixon signed it intofederal law on May 22.^[137]

• 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.

• Fujita, T. Theodore; Abbey, Robert F. Jr. (1983) [1981]. "Chapter 3: Tornadoes: The Tornado Outbreak of 3–4 April 1974". In Kessler, Edwin (ed.).The Thunderstorm in Human Affairs (2nd ed.).Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 37–66.
• Grazulis, Thomas P. (July 1990).Significant Tornadoes, 1880-1989. St. Johnsbury, VT: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films.ISBN 9781879362024 – viaInternet Archive.
• Agee, E.M.; Snow, J.T.; Clare, P.R. (May 1, 1976)."Multiple Vortex Features in the Tornado Cyclone and the Occurrence of Tornado Families".Monthly Weather Review.104 (5).American Meteorological Society:552–563.Bibcode:1976MWRv..104..552A.doi:10.1175/1520-0493(1976)104<0552:MVFITT>2.0.CO;2. RetrievedApril 16, 2025.

EnglishWikisource has original text related to this article:

"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.ISBN 1-59716-009-1 (lib. bdg),ISBN 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.ISBN 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.
• Butler, William S., ed. (2004).Tornado: A look back at Louisville's dark day, April 3, 1974. A 30th Anniversary Publication. Butler Books.ISBN 978-1-884532-58-0. 176 pages.
• Deitz, Robert E.; et al., eds. (1974).April 3, 1974: Tornado!. introduction by John Ed Pearce. The Courier-Journal and The Louisville Times. 128 pages. Library of Congress Catalog Number 74-80806.
• Levine, Mark (2007).F5: Devastation, Survival and the Most Violent Tornado Outbreak of the Twentieth Century. Hyperion, New York.ISBN 978-1-4013-5220-2. 307 pages.

Wikiquote has quotations related to1974 Super Outbreak.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to1974 Tornado Super Outbreak.

• 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".National Weather Service (Nashville, TN). Archived fromthe original on January 28, 2017. RetrievedApril 15, 2025.
  • "April 3, 1974".National Weather Service, Louisville, KY. Archived fromthe original on April 11, 2015. RetrievedApril 15, 2025.
  • The April 3rd and 4th 1974 Tornado Outbreak in Alabama and1974 Alabama tornado table (NWS Birmingham, AL)
• NOAA-NWS-NCEPStorm Prediction Center slideshows:The Super Outbreak: Outbreak of the Century andThe 3–4 April 1974 Super Outbreak: Outbreak of the Century
• Tornado Super Outbreak April 3, 1974 website
• The Weather Channel'sStorm 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 fromWHAS-TV andWHAS-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

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