F5 tornado that destroyed large portions of Xenia, Ohio
The tornado tearing through the southeast Pinecrest Garden district.
Meteorological history
Formed
April 3, 1974, 4:30 p.m. EDT (UTC–04:00)
Dissipated
April 3, 1974, 5:12 p.m. EDT (UTC–04:00)
Duration
39 minutes
F5 tornado
on the Fujita scale
Highest winds
250 to 305 mph (402 to 491 km/h)[1]
Overall effects
Casualties
32 deaths by tornado, 2 deaths by subsequent fire
Fatalities
34
Injuries
1,150
Damage
$250 million (1974 USD)[2] $1.54 billion (2023 USD)
Areas affected
Xenia and town of Wilberforce, Ohio
Part of the 1974 Super Outbreak and Tornadoes of 1974
The 1974 Xenia tornado was the deadliest individual tornado of the 1974 Super Outbreak, the 24-hour period between April 3 and April 4, 1974, during which 148 tornadoes touched down in 13 different U.S. states.[3] The outbreak was considered "the most intense and widespread tornado outbreak in recorded history,"[4] until the 2011 Super Outbreak.[5] However, the 1974 Xenia tornado is still considered to be the worst tornado in Ohio's history, and is the reason for improved warning systems, alarms, and safety protocols throughout the state. The tornado destroyed a large portion of Xenia and Wilberforce, Ohio. Across the state, 2,000 individuals were injured, 7,000 homes were destroyed, and 39 people were killed during the 1974 Super Outbreak, 32 of them being in Xenia.[6] Despite Ohio being better equipped for a tornadic disaster than many other states, a survey team from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) found the lack of tornado sirens to be one of the leading causes of unpreparedness.[6] It was one of two tornadoes to be assigned a preliminary F6 rating by Dr. Ted Fujita, the other being the 1970 Lubbock tornado; however, the rating was later downgraded to an F5 after Fujita deemed F6 ratings "inconceivable".[7]
^T. Theodore Fujita (21–23 October 1975). "NEW EVIDENCE FROM APRIL 3-4, 1974 TORNADOES" (PDF). Ninth Conference on Severe Local Storms. The University of Chicago: 1–9. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
^Cite error: The named reference StormEventsDatabase was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "The Super Outbreak of April 3-4, 1974". www.weather.gov. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
^Risk Management Solutions (2004). "Analysis and Reconstruction of the 1974 Tornado Super Outbreak" (PDF). RMS Special Report.
^"Tornado Basics". NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
^ abU.S. Department of Commerce (1974). "Natural Disaster Survey Report 74-1: The Widespread Tornado Outbreak of April 3-4, 1974" (PDF). A Report to the Administrator.
^Flowers, Andy (8 December 2011). "How will you handle winds of change if they approach F6?". Hill Air Force Base. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
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