Notable tornadoes 1974 Super Outbreak

1 notable tornadoes

1.1 xenia, ohio
1.2 brandenburg, kentucky
1.3 louisville, kentucky
1.4 depauw/daisy hill, indiana
1.5 hanover/madison, indiana
1.6 cincinnati/sayler park, ohio
1.7 monticello, indiana
1.8 tanner, alabama (1st tornado)
1.9 tanner, alabama (2nd tornado)
1.10 jasper/cullman, alabama
1.11 guin, alabama
1.12 huntsville, alabama

notable tornadoes
xenia, ohio

major structural damage xenia high school

the tornado struck city of xenia, ohio stands deadliest individual tornado of 1974 super outbreak, killing 32 people , destroying significant portion of town. tornado formed near bellbrook, ohio, southwest of xenia, @ 4:30 pm edt. began moderate-sized tornado, intensified while moving northeast @ 50 mph (80 km/h). tornado exhibited multiple-vortex structure , became large approached town. gil whitney, weather specialist whio-tv in dayton, alerted viewers in montgomery , greene counties (where xenia located) possible tornado, broadcasting radar image of supercell pronounced hook echo on rear flank of storm several minutes before struck. storm visible on radar because of raindrops wrapping around circulation. massive tornado slammed western part of xenia, flattening windsor park , arrowhead subdivisions @ f5 intensity, , sweeping away entire rows of brick homes little debris left behind in areas. extensive wind-rowing of debris occurred in nearby fields.

when storm reached central xenia @ 4:40 pm, apartment buildings, homes, businesses, churches, , schools including xenia high school destroyed. students in school, practicing play, took cover in main hallway seconds before tornado dropped school bus onto stage had been practicing , extensively damaged school building. several railroad cars lifted , blown on tornado passed on moving penn central freight train in center of town. toppled headstones in cherry grove cemetery, moved through length of downtown business district, passing west of courthouse (which sustained exterior damage). numerous businesses in downtown xenia heavily damaged or destroyed, , several people killed @ a&w root beer stand building flattened. past downtown, tornado continued pinecrest garden district, extensively affected.

the xenia tornado recorded on film 1 resident, , sound recorded on tape mr. brokeshoulder inside apartment complex. before tornado hit building, resident left tape recorder on, , found after storm. @ same time few blocks away, 16-year-old xenia resident bruce boyd captured 3 minutes , 21 seconds of footage super-8 8mm movie camera, pre-1973 model without sound recording capability. footage later paired nearby tape recording. boyd s film shows multiple vortices within larger circulation storm swept through xenia. upon exiting xenia, tornado passed through wilberforce, heavily damaging several campus , residential buildings of wilberforce university. central state university sustained considerable damage, , water tower there toppled. afterwards, tornado weakened before dissipating in clark county near south vienna, traveling little on 30 miles (48 km). maximum width half-mile (0.8 km) in xenia. same parent storm later spawned weaker tornado northeast of columbus in franklin county.

thirty-two people lost lives in twister, , 1,150 injured in xenia. in addition direct fatalities, 2 ohio air national guardsmen deployed disaster assistance killed on april 17 when fire swept through temporary barracks in furniture store. memorial in downtown xenia lists 34 deaths, in honor of 2 guardsmen. 1,400 buildings (roughly half of town) heavily damaged or destroyed. damage estimated @ us$100 million ($471.7 million in 2013 dollars). there no warning noaa weather wire service storm.

f5 damage homes in arrowhead/windsor park area of xenia

president richard nixon made unannounced visit xenia few days later. first (and only) city affected 1974 super outbreak visit. upon inspecting damage, said: on disasters, saw earthquake in anchorage in 1964; saw hurricanes... hurricane camille in 1969 down in mississippi, , saw hurricane agnes in wilkes-barre, pennsylvania. , hard tell difference among them all, in terms of destruction, total devastation, worst have seen. president nixon declared xenia disaster area. although federal disaster relief act introduced in 1973, still had not passed congress. 1974 super outbreak disaster catalyst accelerated passage of act through congress in 1974, according nixon. took several months city recover tornado, of red cross , ohio national guard assisting recovery efforts. of town re-built afterward. in recognition of coverage of tornado under difficult circumstances, staff of xenia daily gazette won pulitzer prize spot news reporting in 1975. xenia tornado 1 of 2 rated f5 affected ohio during outbreak, other striking cincinnati area (see cincinnati/sayler park area tornado, below). xenia later struck 2 other tornadoes—both smaller 1 in april 1989 , larger 1 in september 2000, f4 twister killed 1 , injured 100 in area parallel , north of 1974 path. before 1974 storm, city had no tornado sirens. after f5 tornado hit on april 3, 1974, ten sirens installed across area.

dr. ted fujita , team of colleagues undertook 10-month study of 1974 super outbreak. along discovering tornadoes not known before, such downburst , microburst, , assessing damage surrounding structures, xenia tornado determined worst of 148 storms.

brandenburg, kentucky

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.

louisville, kentucky

major damage in northfield neighborhood of louisville, including vehicle partially wrapped around tree.

about hour after brandenburg tornado, same supercell spawned f4 tornado formed in southwest part of jefferson county near kosmosdale. funnel cloud formed on standiford field airport, touched down @ kentucky fair , exposition center, , destroyed majority of horse barns @ center , part of freedom hall (a multipurpose arena) before crossed interstate 65, scattering several vehicles on busy expressway. tornado continued 22-mile (35 km) journey northeast demolished of audubon elementary school , affected neighborhoods of audubon, cherokee triangle, cherokee-seneca, crescent hill, indian hills, northfield, rolling fields, , tyler park. numerous homes destroyed in residential areas, including few leveled. tornado ended near junction of interstates 264 , 71 after killing 3 people, injuring 207 people, destroying on 900 homes, , damaging thousands of others. cherokee park, historic 409-acre (1.66 km) municipal park located @ eastern parkway , cherokee road, had thousands of mature trees destroyed. massive re-planting effort undertaken community in aftermath of tornado.

dick gilbert, helicopter traffic reporter radio station whas-am, followed tornado through portions of track including when heavily damaged louisville water company s crescent hill pumping station, , gave vivid descriptions of damage seen air. whas-tv cameraman filmed tornado when passed east of central business district of louisville.

whas-am broke away regular programming shortly before tornado struck louisville , on-air live john burke, chief meteorologist @ national weather service s louisville office @ standiford field when tornado first descended. station remained on air delivering weather bulletins , storm-related information until morning hours of april 4. electrical power had been knocked out substantial portion of city, radio station became clearinghouse vital information , contact emergency workers, not in louisville across state of kentucky due 50,000-watt clear-channel signal , fact storms had knocked numerous broadcasting stations in smaller communities, such frankfort, off air. then-governor wendell ford commended station s personnel service community in time of crisis, , dick gilbert later received special commendation then-president richard nixon tracking of tornado helicopter.

depauw/daisy hill, indiana

of f5 tornadoes produced outbreak, depauw tornado first form, touching down @ 3:20 pm local time. least-known of f5 tornadoes in outbreak traveled through rural areas in southern indiana northwest of louisville, traversing 65 miles (105 km) through parts of perry , harrison counties. f5 damage observed near community of depauw, numerous farms leveled. areas near palmyra , borden heavily affected tornado. 10 homes in martinsburg destroyed; , in daisy hill community homes swept away @ f5 intensity. published photographs of storm reveal wide debris cloud , wall cloud structure, no visible condensation funnel @ times. overall, 6 killed storm , on 75 injured. 1 of fatalities occurred when woman crushed school bus flew ditch in taking cover.

hanover/madison, indiana

soon after depauw tornado lifted, hanover/madison f4 twister formed near henryville , traveled through jefferson county , leveled many structures in small towns of hanover , madison. eleven killed in storm while additional 300 injured. according whas-tv louisville reporter in special report outbreak, 90% of hanover destroyed or severely damaged, including hanover college campus. despite fact no 1 killed or injured @ college, 32 of college s 33 buildings damaged, including 2 destroyed , 6 sustained major structural damage. hundreds of trees down, blocking every campus road. utilities knocked out , communication off campus impossible. damage campus alone estimated @ us$10 million. in madison alone 7 of fatalities took place, 300 homes destroyed. tornado brushed community of china causing additional fatalities.

the same storm later strike cincinnati area, producing multiple tornadoes including f5.

cincinnati/sayler park, ohio

the cincinnati area f5 tornado taken near bridgetown

the sayler park tornado among series of tornadoes earlier struck portions of southern indiana north of brandenburg, kentucky, southwest ohio. tornado witnessed on television thousands of people, wcpo aired tornado live during special news coverage of tornadoes. began shortly before 4:30 pm cdt or 5:30 pm edt in southeastern indiana in ohio county north of rising sun near ohio river. traveled through boone county, kentucky, producing f4 damage in taylorsport area before crossing ohio river second time ohio. here, tornado reached f5 intensity slammed sayler park. first area of town hit morehead marina, numerous boats thrown , destroyed. large floating restaurant barge @ location lifted, ripped moorings, , flipped tornado. later recovered several miles downstream. nearby house lifted foundation , thrown river. @ further inland area of sayler park, tornado maintained f5 intensity numerous homes swept away @ hilly area near lake, bare slabs remaining. nws surveyors noted pickup truck in area carried half block on roofs of 5 homes before being smashed ground. tornado weakened continued northeastward, passing through multiple cincinnati neighborhoods , destroying numerous homes. of worst affected areas bridgetown, mack, dent , delhi. damage in delhi rated high f4. tornado took 3 lives , injured on 1 hundred in hamilton county, ohio. considered most-photographed tornado of outbreak.

this tornado dissipated west of white oak, same thunderstorm activity responsible 2 other tornado touchdowns in lebanon , mason areas. mason tornado, started in northern cincinnati subdivisions of arlington heights , elmwood place, rated f4 , took 2 lives, while warren county tornado rated f2 , injured 10.

monticello, indiana

a close-up of tornado tracks occurred in northern indiana

this half-mile (0.8 km) wide f4 tornado developed (as part of tornado family moved illinois michigan 260 miles) during late afternoon hours. tornado produced longest damage path recorded during 1974 super outbreak, on southwest northeast path crossed entire state of indiana. according records, tornado formed near otterbein in benton county in west central indiana noble county northwest of fort wayne – total distance of 121 miles (195 km). further analysis ted fujita indicated @ start of tornado path near otterbein, downburst winds (also called twisting downburst ) disrupted tornado s inflow caused briefly dissipate before redeveloping near brookston in white county @ around 4:50 pm edt , traveled 109 miles (175 km). struck portions of 6 other counties, hardest hit being white county , town of monticello. of town destroyed including courthouse, churches , cemeteries, 40 businesses , numerous homes 3 schools. heavily damaged penn central bridge on tippecanoe river. overall damage according noaa estimated @ us$250 million us$100 million damage in monticello alone.

after tornado struck monticello, tornado reached peak strength , leveled several farms northwest of town. tornado went on tear through west side of rochester, businesses destroyed , homes leveled , swept away. riddle elementary school badly damaged well. tornado struck talma, destroying of town, including fastening plant , schoolhouse. tornado continued northeast , struck south sides of atwood , leesburg, additional severe damage occurring @ both locations. tornado crossed dewart lake , lake wawasee, destroying multiple lakeside homes , trailers. wawasee airport hard hit, hangars destroyed , planes thrown , demolished. tornado destroyed several buildings passed between ligonier , topeka, including perry school , monsanto plant. train cars near plant blown off tracks , thrown building. tornado dissipated near oliver lake airfield.

a destroyed presbyterian church in monticello.

eighteen killed during storm including 5 fort wayne when mini-bus fell 50 feet (15 m) tippecanoe river near monticello. 1 passenger did survive fall. 5 others killed in white county, 6 in fulton county , 1 in kosciusko county. national guard had assisted residents in relief , cleanup efforts , then-governor otis bowen visited area days after storm. 1 of few consolations tornado century-old bronze bell belonged white county courthouse , served timekeeper found intact despite being thrown great distance. tornado had contradicted long-time myth tornado not follow terrain steep valleys while hitting monticello, descended 60-foot (18 m) hill near tippecanoe river , heavily damaged several homes afterwards.

tanner, alabama (1st tornado)

as cluster of thunderstorms crossing of ohio valley , northern indiana, additional strong storms developed further south east of mississippi river tennessee valley , mississippi. produced first deadly tornadoes in alabama during evening hours.

bathtub embedded ground in harvest, al.

most of small town of tanner, west of huntsville in limestone county, destroyed when 2 f5 tornadoes struck community 30 minutes apart. first tornado formed @ 6:30 pm cdt in lawrence county, alabama , ended on 90 minutes later in madison county, alabama, killing 28 people. tornado first touched down near small community of mt. hope, , tracked mt. moriah, tornado rapidly intensified , swept away homes , hurled fleeing vehicles. further along track, many homes swept away near moulton. water pump lifted out of wellhouse along alabama state route 157 in area. in 1 case, destruction complete witness reported largest recognizable objects among scattered debris obliterated house bed-springs. tornado crossed morgan county, causing additional destruction in rural areas near hillsboro , trinity. crossing tennessee river limestone county large waterspout, tornado flattened ¾-mile–wide swath of trees on opposite bank. ground scouring occurred in area, reddish soil dug , plastered against trees. storm slammed tanner, many homes swept away, vehicles tossed, shrubbery debarked, , lawson s trailer park sustained major damage. tornado continued madison county , struck capshaw , harvest areas. numerous homes in harvest , surrounding rural areas of county swept away , scattered, , extensive wind-rowing of debris noted. bathtub 1 residence found embedded ground. past harvest, tornado abruptly dissipated ne of town, having peak width of 500 yards.

tanner, alabama (2nd tornado)

while rescue efforts underway people under destroyed structures, few aware violent tornado strike area. path of second tornado, formed @ 7:35 pm cdt 50 miles in length, had peak width of 500 yards, , storm formed along north bank tennessee river less mile path of earlier storm; of path closely paralleling predecessor tore through limestone , madison counties. 22 people killed second tornado. tanner first community hit, , many structures left standing after first tornado destroyed in second one. man injured @ lawson s trailer park in first tornado taken church in area, collapsed in second tornado, killing him.

homes swept away , scattered across fields near hazel green, al result of second tanner tornado.

after devastating left of tanner, tornado continued across rural limestone county , madison county, communities of capshaw , harvest devastated once again. numerous homes throughout madison county swept away, extensive wind-rowing of debris noted once again. past harvest, tornado swept away multiple additional homes in hazel green area. tornado continued northeastward through rural portions of madison county before crossing tennessee, major damage , 6 deaths occurred in franklin , lincoln counties before tornado dissipated in coffee county. 2 of fatalities in tennessee occurred when church destroyed during service. death toll 2 tornadoes on 50 , on 400 injured. of fatalities occurred in , around tanner area. on 1,000 houses, 200 mobile homes , numerous other outbuildings, automobiles, power lines , trees demolished or heavily damaged. recent official national weather service records show both of tanner tornadoes rated f5. however, rating of second tanner tornado still disputed scientists; analysis in 1 publication estimates f3-f4 damage along entirety of second storm s path. second state have been hit more 2 f5s during 1974 super outbreak. next occurrence of 2 f5s hitting same state on same day happened in march 1990 in kansas, , in mississippi on april 27, 2011. meanwhile, next f5 hit state on april 4, 1977 near birmingham. tanner hit yet ef5 tornado during second super outbreak on april 27, 2011.

jasper/cullman, alabama

while tornadoes causing devastation in northwestern corner of state, supercell crossing mississippi-alabama state line produced violent tornado touched down in pickens county before heading northeast 2 hours towards jasper area causing major damage downtown f4 storm struck. damage reported in cullman storm before lifted.

heavy damage buildings in downtown jasper.

the jasper tornado first touched near aliceville, producing scattered damage tracked northeastward. damage became more intense continuous tornado entered tuscaloosa county. tornado continued strengthen south of berry, , 2 people killed near walker county line when church destroyed. tornado tore directly through downtown jasper @ 6:57 pm, resulting in severe damage , @ least 100 injuries. numerous buildings , storefronts heavily damaged in downtown jasper, , many streets blocked trees , power lines. walker county courthouse sustained major damage, , new fire station leveled. fireman on duty @ time took shelter underneath nearby bridge, , survived without injury. walker county library , jasper first methodist church damaged. tornado crossed lewis smith lake , moved across south side of cullman @ 7:40 pm. multiple homes , shopping centers damaged or destroyed in area, resulting in 1 death , 36 injuries. tornado dissipated northeast of cullman short time later.

in total, storm took 3 lives, injured 1 hundred , fifty residents of jasper or cullman. 5 hundred buildings destroyed, 4 hundred other buildings severely damaged. @ same time, third supercell crossing state line near track of previous two.

guin, alabama

remains of guin mobile home plant, flattened.

the fast-moving nighttime tornado devastated town of guin, longest-duration f5 tornado recorded in outbreak, , considered 1 of violent ever recorded. guin tornado traveled on 100 miles (160 km) west of huntsville before lifting after 10:30 pm cdt. formed @ around 8:50 pm cdt near mississippi-alabama border, striking monterey trailer park, resulting in major damage @ location. tornado became extremely violent approached , entered guin, multiple areas of f5 damage noted in , around town. tornado first struck guin mobile home plant entered town, obliterating structure. nothing left of plant pile of mangled steel beams. town s downtown area heavily damaged, many businesses , 2 churches destroyed. residential areas in guin suffered total devastation, many homes swept away , scattered across fields. according nws damage surveyor bill herman, damage in 1 6-block area particularly extreme, , remarked ground had been swept clean. of total wipeout can have. surveyor j.b. elliot noted destruction complete, of foundations dislodged, , in cases swept away. total of 23 people killed in guin.

the tornado continued past guin , struck small community of twin, destroying numerous homes, mobile homes, , businesses @ location, though damage less intense observed in guin. crossing winston county, tornado struck small community of delmar, destroying additional homes , killing 5 people. mobile homes in delmar obliterated, frames wrapped around trees. past delmar, tornado grew mile wide tore through william b. bankhead national forest, flattening huge swath of trees. surveyors noted timber damage equally severe @ elevations in area, numerous trees snapped both along exposed ridges , in deep gorges. many trees snapped in area tornado path visible satellite. tornado dissipated southwest of huntsville after destroying 546 structures, killing 28 people, , injuring 332 others.

huntsville, alabama

huntsville affected shortly before 11:00 pm edt strong f3 tornado produced same thunderstorm produced guin tornado. tornado produced heavy damage in south end of city, damaging or destroying 1,000 structures.

damage @ intersection of drake avenue , memorial parkway in huntsville.

the tornado touched down north of hartselle , moved northeast toward huntsville. first hit redstone arsenal, damaging or destroying numerous buildings @ location. warning mp picket line on rideout road (now research park boulevard (al-255) ), there three, relatively minor, injuries. 1 of buildings destroyed publications center nuclear weapons training school on arsenal. months afterwards, portions of classified documents being returned farmers in tennessee , alabama. many homes badly damaged or destroyed tornado passed through residential areas of city, , school destroyed well. many businesses heavily damaged, , numerous trees , power lines downed throughout city. glenn ll trailer park destroyed tornado, , sources list fatality occurring @ location. tornado reached monte sano mountain, has elevation of 1,640 feet (492 m), additional homes torn apart. national weather service office @ huntsville jetport briefly closed , abandoned due severe weather conditions. tornado dissipated near jacobs mountain. remarkable electrical phenomenon reported tornado passed through huntsville, reports of luminous clouds, ball lightning, , multi-colored flashes , glowing areas in sky storm moved through city. these aforementioned flashes more power flashes, flashes of light caused arcing electrical discharges damaged electrical equipment, severed power lines.