Brandenburg, Kentucky 1974 Super Outbreak

remains of house swept away in brandenburg, heavily debarked trees , shrubbery in foreground.

the brandenburg tornado, produced f5 damage , took 31 lives, touched down in breckinridge county @ 4:25 pm cdt , followed 34-mile (55 km) path. tornado first moved across north edge of hardinsburg, inflicting f3 damage homes @ location. tornado became violent moved meade county, producing f4 f5 damage passed north of irvington, sweeping away numerous homes in rural area. vehicles thrown hundreds of yards residences , mangled, , few wrapped around trees. 1 home swept away sustained total collapse of poured concrete walk-out basement wall. news photographer reported tornado left no grass crossed kentucky route 79 in area, , canceled checks near irvington later found in ohio. past irvington, tornado tore directly through brandenburg @ f5 intensity, leveling , sweeping away numerous homes, of well-built , anchor-bolted. 18 of fatalities alone occurred along green st in brandenburg, , town s downtown area devastated. trees , shrubbery in town debarked , stripped, extensive wind-rowing of debris occurred, , numerous vehicles destroyed well, of had nothing left frame , tires. curtain rod found speared trunk of 1 tree in town. several tombstones in cap anderson cemetery toppled , broken, , displaced small distance. exiting brandenburg, tornado crossed indiana producing f4 damage there before dissipating. same storm later produce tornadoes in louisville metro area.

when twister struck on april 3, 1974, many of brandenburg residents @ time had experienced major flood of ohio river affected area in 1937 numerous other communities along river, including louisville , paducah. of fifty-nine tornadoes have been given rating of f5 or ef5, brandenburg tornado f5 in kentucky state history.