The 1974 Super-Outbreak. By The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered. THE SUPER OUTBREAK (April 3, 1974) by Meteorologist Jeremy Kappell.

(Above) Aerial damage photo of the Xenia and Wilberforce, OH area courtesy of the National Weather Service Wilmington, OH and Attila Kilinc

The April 3-4th, 1974 Super Outbreak affected 13 states across the eastern US, from the Great Lakes region down into the Deep South. 148 tornadoes were documented from this event, of which 95 were rated F2 or stronger on the Fujita scale and 30 achieved F4 or F5 ratings. Since, this outbreak took place the United States & Canada now measure tornado strength/damage using a new scale, called the Enhance Fujita or EF-scale which better accounts for the quality of construction and standardizes different types of structures. This outbreak was the second largest tornado outbreak on record for a single 24 hour period, just behind the April 2011 tornado outbreak when 358 tornadoes were confirmed in a three day period. Click here for a detailed map showing the path length, and strength off all 148 tornadoes reported during this outbreak, created by Dr. Fujita.

(Above) F5 tornado approaches Xenia, OH courtesy of the National Weather Service Wilmington, OH and Fred Stewart
During the 1974 Super Outbreak the 148 tornadoes caused over 3.5 billion dollars (2005) in damage and unfortunately 335 fatalities, along with more than 6,000 injuries. Some of the strongest tornadoes from this outbreak occurred in the Ohio Valley. Two violent F5 tornadoes destroyed much of Xenia, OH and Sayler Park, OH. Resulting in 34 deaths, the Xenia tornado was the deadliest in this outbreak; compare this with the 64 deaths caused by the Tuscaloosa/Birmingham, AL tornado in April 2011. The Xenia, OH tornado touched down around 4:33PM just outside of town, and moved into central Xenia by 4:40PM on April 3rd, 1974. The number of fatalities were likely reduced by the fact that the National Weather Service in Dayton, OH had issued a tornado warning for the area at 4:10PM, which was in effect through 5:00PM, giving the residents a reasonable amount of time to seek shelter. For an up-close photo of the powerful tornado click this link & for a photo of the severe damage inflicted by this tornado click here.

(Above) Severe tornado damage in Xenia, OH during the 1974 outbreak. Courtesy of the National Weather Service in Wilmington, OH

Another powerful, F5 tornado took aim at the western suburbs of Cincinnati about an hour later. This was the only Tri-State tornado of the Super Outbreak. This tornado touched down near Rising Sun, Indiana around 5:30PM on April 3rd, 1974, passed through northern Kentucky, then crossed the Ohio River inflicting severe damage in Saylor Park and other neighborhoods west of Cincinnati. This tornado knocked out power to the Cincinnati weather service office, resulting in the loss of radar, teletype, and most other forms of communication. Fortunately, most of the worst tornadoes had already occurred before the loss of power, but this event helped the National Weather Service to recognize the need for emergency power backup. Here is a link to an incredible photo of this powerful tornado! (in development or weakening stages by this point in time)

(Above) Tornado approaches Saylor Park and Bridgetown, OH courtesy of the National Weather Service in Wilmington, OH and Frank Altenau

This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1974, primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes.

Synopsis[edit]

1974 was exceptionally above average with a record number of seven F5 tornadoes in one year. 366 deaths occurred and almost 7,000 injuries occurred. The worst tornado outbreak of the record-breaking year was the Super Outbreak, which spawned all seven F5 tornadoes.

Events[edit]

January[edit]

24 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in the month of January.^[2]

February[edit]

23 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in the month of February.^[3]

March[edit]

36 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in the month of March.^[4]

April[edit]

267 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in the month of April.^[5]

April 1–2[edit]

A minor two–day tornado outbreak caused 23 tornadoes to form. One of which struck Lawrenceville, Illinois. Another tornado struck Lafayette, Indiana and was given an F2 rating. An F3 tornado struck Huntsville, Alabama killing 1 person. Several F2 tornadoes touched down across Mississippi and Alabama during the outbreak also.^[6][7]

Georg, Szalai. Retrieved 21 November 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2017. Ripper street season 2.

April 3–4[edit]

The 1974 Super Outbreak was one of the destructive tornado outbreaks ever known in United States history. Many notable tornadoes occurred, such as the Xenia, Ohio tornado which was an F5 tornado that killed 34 people and destroyed a large portion of the town. The Xenia tornado was so strong and the damage so severe, that Dr. Fujita considered rating it an F-6, although the scale only went to F-5.^{[citation needed]} He decided not to since some of the damage that would indicate that it could be the mythical F-6, might have been due to the structure not being as strong as it should in the first place. One of the 30 violent tornadoes, and F4 striking Monticello, Indiana, produced the longest damage path recorded during the 1974 Super Outbreak, on a southwest to northeast path that nearly crossed the entire state of Indiana. According to most records, this tornado formed near Otterbein in Benton County in west central Indiana to Noble County just northwest of Fort Wayne - a total distance of about 121 miles (195 km). 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 about US$250 million with US$100 million damage in Monticello alone.^[8][9] The Monticello tornado caused 18 deaths. One of the seven F5 tornadoes, the Huntsville, Alabama tornado, took a similar path of the tornado that struck Huntsville on April 1. A large, F4 tornado struck Louisville, killing 3 people and 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. The fast-moving nighttime tornado that devastated the town of Guin, was the longest-duration F5 tornado recorded in the outbreak and considered to be one of the most violent ever recorded. The Guin Tornado traveled over 100 miles (160 km) to just west of Huntsville before lifting just after 10:30 pm CDT. It formed at around 8:50 pm CDT near the Mississippi-Alabama border, striking the Monterey Trailer Park, resulting in major damage at that location. The tornado then became extremely violent as it approached and entered Guin, with multiple areas of F5 damage noted in and around town. The tornado first struck the Guin Mobile Home Plant as it entered the town, completely obliterating the structure. Nothing was left of the plant but a pile of mangled steel beams. The town's downtown area was also heavily damaged, with many businesses and two churches completely destroyed.^[10] Residential areas in Guin suffered total devastation, with many homes swept completely away and scattered across fields.^[8][11] There were at least 148 tornadoes in the tornado outbreak and 318 fatalities, a record that was beat by the 2011 Super Outbreak.

April 18–21[edit]

A widespread tornado outbreak produced at least 36 tornadoes across the Great Plains and Midwest. A multiple-vortex F3 tornado touched down in Wisconsin, striking Lomira, killing 2 people. 159 miles per hour was calculated as a tornado destroyed 30 farms and then went on to rip apart 300 homes in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.^{[12][13][14][15]}

May[edit]

144 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in the month of May.^[16]

June[edit]

194 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in June.^[17]

June 8[edit]

A tornado outbreak produced 36 tornadoes, at least 19 of them significant or intense, and is the second-deadliest June tornado event in Oklahoma history, with 16 deaths reported in the state, second only to the 35 people killed by an F4 tornado on June 12, 1942, in Oklahoma City.^[18][19] The deadliest tornado of the outbreak was a powerful F4 that struck the town of Drumright in Oklahoma, killing 14 people, 12 of whom were killed at Drumright. Another deadly and destructive F4 tornado struck the town of Emporia in Kansas, killing six more people. The outbreak also produced two F3 tornadoes in the Tulsa metropolitan area that killed two people and, combined with flooding, produced the costliest natural disaster in that city's history up to that time—a disaster worth $30,000,000 (1974 USD). Additionally, the outbreak produced non-tornadic winds in the city which reached 100 knots (51 m/s) (115 miles per hour (185 km/h)) for several minutes.^[20] In addition to confirmed tornadoes, a possible tornado occurred at 8:15 p.m. CST 5 mi (8.0 km) south of Cullison in Kansas, producing intermittent damage, but is not officially listed as a tornado.^[20]

June 18–20[edit]

43 tornadoes touched down in the Great Plains and Great Lakes regions, killing 3 people and injuring 78. The strongest tornado of the outbreak was an F4 tornado that struck Des Moines, killing 2 people and injuring 50. June 20 featured 22 tornadoes in Illinois, being one of the highest numbers for Illinois in a single day.^[21][22][23]

July[edit]

59 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in July.^[24]

August[edit]

107 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in August.^[25]

September[edit]

25 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in September.^[26]

October[edit]

45 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in October.^[27]

November[edit]

13 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in November.^[28]

December[edit]

8 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in December.^[29]

See also[edit]

• Tornadoes by year

References[edit]

1. ^'1974'. Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
2. ^'January 1974'. Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
3. ^'February 1974'. Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
4. ^'March 1974'. Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
5. ^'April 1974'. Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
6. ^'April 1, 1974'. Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
7. ^'April 2, 1974'. Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
8. ^ ^abGrazulis, Thomas P. (July 1993). Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. St. Johnsbury, VT: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. ISBN1-879362-03-1.
9. ^'Northern Indiana'. Crh.noaa.gov. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
10. ^Jordan, Charles (March 29, 2014). 'A Night to Remember'(PDF). NWS Huntsville, AL. NOAA. Archived from the original(PDF) on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
11. ^'Scene looks like work of monster'. The Tuscaloosa News. Tuscaloosa, Alabama. April 5, 1974. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
12. ^'April 18, 1974'. Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
13. ^'April 19, 1974'. Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
14. ^'April 20, 1974'. Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
15. ^'April 21, 1974'. Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
16. ^'May 1974'. Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
17. ^'May 1974'. Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
18. ^OUN Webmaster (20 November 2013). 'Top Ten Deadliest Oklahoma Tornadoes (1882-Present)'. Norman, Oklahoma: National Weather Service. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
19. ^Grazulis, Significant Tornadoes, 408–20.
20. ^ ^ab'Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena'. Storm Data. Asheville, North Carolina: United States Department of Commerce. 16 (6): 19. June 1974.
21. ^'June 18, 1974'. Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
22. ^'June 19, 1974'. Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
23. ^'June 20, 1974'. Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
24. ^'July 1974'. Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
25. ^'August 1974'. Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
26. ^'September 1974'. Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
27. ^'October 1974'. Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
28. ^'November 1974'. Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
29. ^'December 1974'. Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-23.