Weather History

This Day In Weather History

In 1974, the notorious Super Tornado Outbreak ravaged the Midwest and Eastern U.S. from Michigan to Alabama. A total of 148 tornadoes killed 335, injured 6,142 and caused an estimated $600 million damage. Many tornadoes were appalling. The most publicized was an F5 that destroyed half of Xenia, Ohio. Killing 34, injuring around 1,150 and causing $100 million damage, the vortex had a track 32 miles long and averaged one third mile wide. Later that evening, three hideously violent tornadoes roared across Northwest and extreme North Central Alabama. The first of these three tornadoes, an F5 with a track 52 miles long and close to one mile wide, killed 28 and injured 267 as it tore through four counties in extreme Northern Alabama. Several homes vanished and of the 28 deaths, six were members of one family while four were members of a second family. One half hour after the first F5 occurred, a second F5 struck. It cut a track 41 miles long, averaged one third of a mile wide, killed 22 and injured 250 of which 19 were in one home. Three towns that were hit by the first tornado were also hit by the second tornado. In fact, a few rescue squads responding to the first disaster were hit by the second tornado. The F5 crossed the Alabama Tennessee border where it dissipated just north of the state line. The third F5 vortex that struck Alabama raced a 102 mile long marathon northeast from just west of the Mississippi Alabama border to just southwest of Huntsville. Reaching one mile wide, this massive tornado killed 28, of which 20 were in the town of Guin.  The town was nearly devastated and many homes vanished. A mobile home plant was obliterated. The tornado raced northeast at speeds that reached 75 MPH!
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