[6][61] 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. Consequently, CAPE levels in the region rose to 1,000 J/kg. [55], While rescue efforts were underway to look for people under the destroyed structures, few were aware that another violent tornado would strike the area. NBC Xenia, Ohio Tornado Documentary, 1974 - YouTube [72] Sightseers traveling to look at the damage clogged up roadways. The most Tri-State deaths nine happened on March 2, 2012, when a tornado skipped from Ripley County, Indiana, to Kenton and Grant counties in Northern Kentucky and to Clermont County in Ohio. A RESIDENCE ON VAN EATON ROAD, APPROXIMATELY 4 MILES SOUTHWEST OF XENIA. Hundreds of trees were down, completely blocking every campus road. At the same time, a third supercell was crossing the state line near the track of the previous two. One of the girls called me out to look at the rain, Burger Chef night manager William Featherkile told The Enquirer in 1969. There was $2 million damage just toCincinnati Hills Christian Academy middle and elementary schools. Im sure that 30 or 40 years from now people will be saying, Why did they make that decision?. [34] 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. [citation needed] Meanwhile, the next F5 tornado to hit the state was on April 4, 1977 near Birmingham. Perhaps it was again overshadowed by another story that shared The Enquirers front page that day. It is surprising that such a traumatic event could ever be forgotten. When a tornado roars into a populated area, the change is often . The Tornado touched down around 4:40pm just outside of downtown Xenia. The split was related to several factors, including a band of subsidence over eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia; local downslope winds over the Appalachians; and an inversion over the same area. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Bridgecreek 1999. At one point, the National Weather Service was tracking five funnel clouds on its local radar at the airport.. T. The most damaging and deadly touched down in Xenia, Ohio, where the F5 tornado leveled half of the town in just nine minutes. The Brandenburg tornado, which produced F5 damage and took 31 lives, touched down in Breckinridge County around 3:25pm CDT and followed a 32-mile (51km) path. Xenia Tornado rare footage - YouTube On April 9, 1999, an EF4 tornado with 200-mph winds smashed into heavily-populated Blue Ash, Montgomery and Symmes Township just after 5 a.m. Two motorists were killed, in addition to the Arshonsky's neighbors, Lee and Jacque Cook. But the cataclysmic storm system wasnt done. [6] Overall, six were killed by the storm and 86 were injured. The tornado finally dissipated south of Basham, destroying 546 structures, killing 28 people, and injuring 332 others. The storm demonstrated the critical need for research funding research that ultimately led to the development of Doppler radar. [6][43], Dick Gilbert, a helicopter traffic reporter for radio station WHAS-AM, followed the tornado through portions of its track including when it heavily damaged the Louisville Water Company's Crescent Hill pumping station, and gave vivid descriptions of the damage as seen from the air. But rebuilding was a tangible goal, and Xenia rebuilt. [69] The National Guard provided four-wheel drive vehicles for search and rescue efforts. She received head injuries and died the next day. In fact, it is home to one of the strongest, if not THE strongest, ever recorded, during the Superoutbreak of '74, killing many, and leveling over half the town. [64], The tornado touched down north of Hartselle and moved northeast toward Huntsville. A total of 11 tornadoes were reported in those 24 hours. CINCINNATI Charles Mara of Sayler Park said he would never forget the terrifying sight of the April 3, 1974 tornado bearing down on his house. I never even heard it coming, said the driver, Donald Busch Jr. of Blanchester, Ohio. I'm definitely feeling lucky. Service centers were opened at two National Guard Armories, one in Dalton and the other in Calhoun, as well as a church in Dawsonville. The tornado caused an estimated $100 million in damage in Xenia's Greene County. Vault: Remember horriblest Tri-State tornadoes? - WCPO 1979. 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. Local Product Criteria. Xenia Tornado rare footage - YouTube 0:00 / 0:09 Xenia Tornado rare footage 677 views May 20, 2021 Rare footage of the 1974 Xenia, Ohio tornado taken from an old news clip. [citation needed], By 12:00 UTC on April 3, a large-scale trough extended over most of the contiguous United States, with several modest shortwaves rotating around the broad base of the trough. Yet this forgotten tornado is rarely mentioned, overshadowed by twisters that devastated Xenia, Ohio, in 1974 and Blue Ash and Montgomery in 1999. Thirty-one people have died locally in tornadoes and severe storms since 1968. 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. Tornado Anniversary. Total damage from the tornadoes and thunderstorms in the state reached $3,655,000, more than half of which was incurred by Raleigh County. "This boggles the mind," Ohio Gov. 1974 Xenia Tornado: Recalling the devastation - Yahoo News The outbreak extensively damaged approximately 900sqmi (2,331km2) along a total combined path length of 2,600mi (4,184km). [8], 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. Multiple homes and shopping centers were damaged or destroyed in the area, resulting in one death and 36 injuries. The tornado eventually dissipated near Jacobs Mountain. Major damage in the Northfield neighborhood of Louisville, including a vehicle partially wrapped around a tree. A total of 319 were killed in 148 tornadoes from April 3 through April 4 and 5,484 were injured. Questions? In addition to the direct fatalities, two Ohio Air National Guardsmen deployed for disaster assistance were killed on April 17 when a fire swept through their temporary barracks in a furniture store. [7] Meanwhile, a large mesoscale convective system (MCS) that had developed overnight in Arkansas continued to strengthen due to strong environmental lapse rates. Numerous buildings and storefronts were heavily damaged in downtown Jasper, and many streets were blocked with trees and power lines. Scripps School of Journalism. Devastation in Xenia: Resident and Carl Nichols looks back at the Xenia The first tornado formed at 6:30pm CDT in Lawrence County, Alabama and ended just over 90 minutes later in Madison County, Alabama, killing 28 people. Tornado Distance; 1. The next occurrence of two F5 tornadoes hitting the same state on the same day happened in March 1990 in Kansas, and then in both Mississippi and Alabama on April 27, 2011. One of the fatalities occurred when a woman was crushed by a school bus that flew into a ditch she was sheltering in. Mom said it was a spring shower, recalls Wilson, then 9. ", "The Super Tornado Outbreak of 1974 Farmers' Almanac", "TORNADO OUTBREAK OPENED EYES ABOUT MYTHS, SCHOOL SAFETY", "4 Apr 1974, Page 7 - The Courier-Journal at Newspapers.com", "The Indefinitive List of the Strongest Tornadoes Ever Recorded (Part IV) |", "April 3, 1974 Xenia Tornado Memorial Marker", "Inflation Calculator | Find US Dollar's Value from 1913 to 2015", "Monticello, Indiana April 3, 1974: Fort Wayne Girl Survives Van's Plunge", "Monticello, Indiana April 3, 1974: 122-year-old Bell Survives", "Our Meade County Heritage: Forward and Dedication", "Tri-State remembers Sayler Park Tornado of 1974", Times Daily pg 66 Google News Archive Search, "Limestone County Damage Pictures on the Ground", "Madison County Damage Pictures on the Ground", "Never Before Seen Aerial Pictures of Tornado Damage Taken by Madison County, AL", "NOAA and the 1974 Tornado Outbreak Alabama", "The April 3rd and 4th 1974 Tornado Outbreak in Alabama", "Alabama Tornado DatabaseYear 1974 Tornadoes", "3/21/01 EIIP Virtual Forum Transcript: The Lawrence County Supercell, the Forgotten F5", "F5 Tornadoes of the United States: 1950present", "Night of April 3, 1974, marked change in severe weather alerts, preparedness", "Alabama Tornado Database (1974 tornadoes)", "Area Residents Begin Clearing Up Tornado Wreckage", "Red Cross Completes Tornado Damage List", "To Pass S.3062, The Disaster Relief Bill", Learn how and when to remove this template message, Natural Disaster Survey Report: The Widespread Tornado Outbreak of April 3-4, 1974, "WHAS Radio Covers the April 3, 1974 Tornado Disaster," excellent-quality recorded coverage of the tornado at LKYRadio.com, The April 3rd and 4th 1974 Tornado Outbreak in Alabama, The Super Outbreak: Outbreak of the Century (Slide show), The 34 April 1974 Super Outbreak: Outbreak of the Century (Slide show Revised), The Super Outbreak: Outbreak of the Century, Revisiting the 34 April 1974 Super Outbreak of Tornadoes, Potential insurance losses from a major tornado outbreak: the 1974 Super Outbreak example, A website dedicated to the Super Outbreak, Super Outbreak 30th Anniversary Special (WHAS Louisville), WHAS April 3, 1974 Live Breaking News Coverage part 1, WHAS April 3, 1974 Live Breaking News Coverage part 2, 1974 Alabama tornado table including tornadoes from the Super Outbreak Courtesy of NWS Birmingham, Alabama, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1974_Super_Outbreak&oldid=1152323950, 4:47p.m. 6:47p.m. April 3 (UTC05:00), This page was last edited on 29 April 2023, at 14:59. "The house was crashing in and the winds were picking me off the bed and I believed I was about to die," she said. Possibly one of the most powerful tornadoes to ever hit Ohio happened in Xenia in 1974. A nearby house was lifted from its foundation and thrown into the river. Twenty-five years ago this weekend, the town of Xenia, Ohio was crushed by . The F5 category tornado brought winds up to 250 miles an hour, bulldozing a half-mile-wide swath through Xenia. There was just nothing left," he said. 3. 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. [22] 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). [6] The tornado formed near Bellbrook, Ohio, southwest of Xenia, at about 4:30pm EDT. She wasnt even born when the 1974 tornado hit, but she was around for the 2000 storm that killed one person, and now shes seen her neighbors respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. [41] The tornado took three lives and injured 210 with 190 of the injuries were in Hamilton County, Ohio alone. The Sayler Park tornado was among a series of tornadoes that earlier struck portions of southern Indiana from north of Brandenburg, Kentucky, into southwest Ohio. There were recorded F2/F3 damages left throughout the area. An F3 tornado also occurred in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, killing nine and injuring 30 others there, all of them at the former Windsor Curling Club. When the storm reached central Xenia at 4:40pm, apartment buildings, homes, businesses, churches, and schools including Xenia High School were destroyed. It then traveled through Boone County, Kentucky, producing F4 damage in the Taylorsport area before crossing the Ohio River a second time into Ohio. [50] The tornado then continued into Madison County and struck the Capshaw and Harvest areas. The tornado exhibited a multiple-vortex structure, which was described as a "pair of funnels coming together". The images depict the damage caused in Xenia and Wilberforce by the F5 tornado of April 3, 1974. 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. The multi-vortex structure grew larger as it approached Xenia. We are now partners with the Storm Front Freaks. A large festival tent at St. GertrudeChurch on Miami Avenue at Shawnee Run Road in Madeira wasblown down, temporarily trapping 100 people inside. What was the wind speed of the xenia Ohio tornado? - Answers There were 18 hours of nearly continuous tornado activity that ended in Caldwell County, North Carolina, at about 7:00am on April 4. The Lessons We Learnt from Xenia Tornado - GradesFixer [6] It formed at around 8:50pm CDT near the Mississippi-Alabama border, north of the town of Vernon, striking the Monterey Trailer Park, resulting in major damage at that location. In Ohio Town, Okla. Twister Conjures Echoes Of 1974 Disaster The storm came with no warning from the National Weather Service, but the Emergency Operating Center issued a tornado warning. The Xenia tornado tearing through the southeast Pinecrest Garden district. [34] A news photographer reported that the tornado "left no grass" as it crossed KY 79 in this area, and canceled checks from near Irvington were later found in Ohio. XENIA Its an anniversary people would rather not celebrate. 75K views 3 years ago The deadliest tornado of the April 3-4 Super Outbreak! The tornado continued to strengthen south of Berry, and two people were killed near the Walker County line when a church was destroyed. 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. About 6:57 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 9, 1969, a tornado formed near the Williamsburg Apartments in Hartwell, then touched down at Galbraith and Reading near Interstate 75 at 7:20 p.m. "It won't be that way for myself and my generation, but for future generations hopefully it'll come back to the same beautiful area it was along the Ohio River," Ster said. The tornado that struck the city of Xenia, Ohio stands as the deadliest individual tornado of the 1974 Super Outbreak, killing 32 people and destroying a significant portion of the town. At 5:30 p.m. another F5 touched down near Rising Sun, Indiana, passed into Northern Kentucky and knocked out power at the National Weather Service (NWS) station at CVG. Heaviest hit was Xenia, where an F5 tornado with winds between 261 and 318 mph decimated nearly half of the city. The 1974 Super Outbreak was the second-largest tornado outbreak on record for a single 24-hour period, just behind the 2011 Super Outbreak. Flash floods were considered a major risk in the region's mountainous terrain. The storms killed 307, injured 5,454, and destroyed around 1,400 buildings. It also heavily damaged the Penn Central bridge over the Tippecanoe River. They did the best they could, says Bayless. The Xenia, OH F5 Tornado - April 3, 1974 - Tornado Talk Bob Taft who now lives in Greene County and City Manager Jim Percival declared a state of emergency that night. Firefighters discovered them in the wreckage the next morning. [6], Severe thunderstorms on April4 brought 1 to 3in (2.5 to 7.6cm) of rain to tornado-stricken areas of northwest Georgia. [68], On April5, Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter declared 13 counties as disaster areas and put in a request to President Nixon for federal aid, citing damage in excess of $15.5million. A funnel cloud formed west of the city; the storm hit shortly before 7:30 p.m, following a parallel path just north of the 1974 tornado path. The damage became more intense continuous as the tornado entered Tuscaloosa County. 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. [73], On April10, voting on the Disaster Relief Act of 1974 was expedited and passed unanimously in the United States Senate in direct response to the scale of damage from the tornado outbreak. The storm hit before the disaster warning systems we take for granted today. The fierce 100-123 mile per hour winds damaged 106 houses and 10 businesses, leaving many without power. Xenia's F5 tornado struck 45 years ago, leaving the town changed Past Harvest, the tornado swept away multiple additional homes in the Hazel Green area. Numerous homes were destroyed in residential areas, including a few that were leveled. [48] The tornado crossed into Morgan County, causing additional destruction in rural areas near Hillsboro and Trinity. The most prolific and longest-lasting tornado family of the outbreak tracked from central Illinois and the entirety of northern Indiana from 2:47p.m. 6:59p.m. (UTC05:00), a span of 4 hours and 12 minutes. It would be rebuilt again by January 1970. A Fairborn medic assists after a tornado hit Xenia in 2000. No warning was sounded; the National Weather Service and public safety agencies had no reason to believe the incoming storm posed a threat to the community, officials said. Those tornadoes killed five people in Hamilton County and sent more than 200 injured to hospitals. Despite the apparent connection between La Nia and two of the largest tornado outbreaks in United States history, no definitive linkage exists between La Nia and this outbreak or tornado activity in general. ** The video in the player above details information regarding the deadly tornado in a 2020 newscast ** XENIA, Ohio (WDTN) On Wednesday, April 3, 1974, a dangerous tornado struck the Miami . [6][65][66] The National Weather Service office at Huntsville Jetplex was briefly "closed and abandoned" due to the severe weather conditions. The highest recorded wind speed was in the. These factors allowed the northern part of the MCS to accelerate due to efficient ducting, while the southern part slowed as the boundary layer warmed and moistened. Ohio's tornado history and what to do if you're caught in a twister This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. [35] 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. ", The same system that spawned the Xenia tornado first came through Greater Cincinnati. 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. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration A total of 315 people died in 11 states died during the two-day outbreak. Zelphia Taylor, 45, and her husband, Norman, were in a car that was flipped several times by high winds at Reading and Galbraith. The tornado quickly became violent as it moved into Meade County, producing F4 damage as it passed north of Irvington, sweeping away numerous homes in this rural area. Xenia tornado timeline: How the deadly 1974 twister tore through the city Lightning was lighting up all over the place.". [6][21] Several railroad cars were lifted and blown over as the tornado passed over a moving Penn Central freight train in the center of town. 2000-9-20 - F4 Tornado: 3.6 mi. The tornado tore directly through downtown Jasper at 6:57 PM, resulting in severe damage and at least 100 injuries. The F5 category tornado brought winds up to 250 miles an hour, bulldozing a half-mile-wide swath through Xenia. Forste died in the rubble of her house as Gorth and others tried to rescue her. About 80 percent of Moscow's homes and businesses were destroyed, but Mayor Tim Suter hoped that someday the rivertown's natural beauty would be restored. [55], In total, the storm took three lives, but injured one hundred and fifty residents of Jasper or Cullman. Mobile homes in Delmar were obliterated, with their frames wrapped around trees. Nick is a Riverside native and has been a journalist in the Dayton area for more than 20 years. Aftermath Multiple locations were found. [6], This half-mile (0.8km) wide F4 tornado developed (as part of a tornado family that moved from Illinois to Michigan for 260 miles) during the late afternoon hours. Bricks and twisted metal were strewn all overlike building blocks scattered by an angry child. It also killed 250 horses in Butler County on its way to Xenia. Nick Blizzard is a staff writer for the Dayton Daily News. The biggest tornado crossed the Ohio River and laid waste to Sayler Park, then proceeded into Mack and Bridgetown, ripping off the roofs of Our Lady of Visitation and Springmyer schools and destroying scores of homes in those residential areas before spreading its damage north to Roselawn, Elmwood Place and Sharonville. Newscenter 7 meteorologist Jamie Simpson will conduct a live chat about the 1974 Xenia tornado at 12:30 p.m. today at . The . 45 years ago, a heinous F5 tornado tore through this town and changed it forever By Matthew Cappucci April 3, 2019 at 12:02 p.m. EDT Damage in Xenia, Ohio, following an F5 tornado on April. Xenia isnt alone in being struck by twisters. [47] 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. Per the SPC, it continues to be in the top 10 of costliest tornadoes on record. Cindy Gorth's aunt, Carol Forste, lived in Moscow on Elizabeth Street near the river. There were a record 30 F4-F5 tornadoes in six states in a 24-hour period (April 3-4). Remains of the Guin Mobile Home Plant, which was completely flattened. [39][40] 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. Riddle Elementary School was badly damaged as well. It was just as much of a total wipeout as you can have. Xenias graduation ceremony at the Nutter Center in May 2018 was interrupted by a tornado warning. The tornado exhibited a multiple-vortex structure and became very large as it approached town. He is a graduate of Stebbins High School who earned a bachelors degree from Ohio University and its E.W. [42] It was considered the most-photographed tornado of the outbreak. On April 3, 1974 49 years ago much of Xenia was leveled by a powerful F5 tornado. [57] The death toll from the two tornadoes was over 45 and over 400 were injured. 1:25. 1997-7-2 - F2 Tornado: 5.8 mi. The F-5 storm that destroyed or damaged thousands of homes, businesses and schools was responsible for 33 deaths, and hundreds more injured. A total of 11 people were killed in this storm while an additional 300 were injured. >> MIAMI VALLEY TORNADOES: What you need to know now. Rows of old-growth trees in Terrace Park were splintered and toppled. Four classrooms were destroyed and the roof was removed from the school and placed on the cars of the faculty. [70] The local Red Cross provided $3,000 to victims in Fayette County and assisted residents with acquiring supplies and dealing with medical bills. More than 100 were injured. The tornado then struck Talma, destroying most of the town, including a fastening plant and the schoolhouse. The station remained on the air delivering weather bulletins and storm-related information until well into the early morning hours of April 4. A portion of Fujita's track analysis focused on the northern portion of the outbreak. The worst and most widespread damage came on April 3, 1974, during the country's deadliest Super Tornado Outbreak. Over 1,000 houses, 200 mobile homes and numerous other outbuildings, automobiles, power lines and trees were completely demolished or heavily damaged. "I don't know what is was. 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. She had five cracked ribs and a collapsed lung. The experience prompted the NWS to adopt the F0F5 Fujita scale as a standard for describing the severity of a tornado; its since been updated as the Enhanced Fujita Scale. Editor's note: On April 3 and 4, 1974, a series of deadly tornadoes struck the Midwest, causing destruction and havoc and the loss of more than 300 lives. According to The Weather Channel, on April 3-4 there were 148 tornadoes in 13 states and Canada of which 30 were categorized as violent including six rated F5. Three years ago, a tornado outbreak caused unbelievable damage in Trotwood, Northridge, Dayton, and Riverside in Montgomery County before twisters wreaked havoc in the Beavercreek area on Memorial Day. [15], Soon after the Depauw tornado lifted, the Hanover/Madison F4 tornado formed near Henryville and traveled through Jefferson County and leveled many structures in the small towns of Hanover and Madison. The F-5 tornado left 33 people dead and more than 1,300 injured. It was the second-largest tornado outbreak on record for a single 24-hour period and was also the most violent outbreak recorded with 30 F4/F5 tornadoes confirmed. The U.S. [6] The tornado formed near Bellbrook, Ohio, southwest of Xenia, at about 4:30 pm EDT. [54] The tornado then became extremely violent as it approached and entered Guin, with multiple areas of F5 damage noted in and around town. Nine schools, nine churches and nearly 180 businesses were ripped apart. One of the buildings destroyed was a publications center for the Nuclear Weapons Training School on the Arsenal. There were recorded F2/F3 damages left throughout the area. A massive re-planting effort was undertaken by the community in the aftermath of the tornado. [15], Of the F5 tornadoes produced by the outbreak, the DePauw tornado was the first to form, touching down at 3:20pm local time. The funnel cloud tore through sections of Hartwell, Arlington Heights, Reading, Amberley Village, Deer Park, Silverton, Madeira, Indian Hill and Terrace Park, according to storm data. Per Thomas Grazulis in Significant Tornadoes, "This was the most publicized tornado of the day and perhaps the most well-studied tornado in history, from a wind . We know we can pull together.. Heavy damage to buildings in downtown Jasper. Notably, it would prompt the creation of a disaster coordinating agency. The worst tornado was an F5 that struck portions of Southeastern Ohio from Wheelersburg to Gallipolis, just north of the Ohio- Kentucky state line, killing seven people and injuring at least 93. In comparison, the two tornadoes that hit Xenia and Sayler Park in 1974 were rated F5and the 1999 tornado was an F4. The adrenaline of crisis galvanized Xenia residents quickly.
