36 people perished in the storm, thousands more were injured and left homeless. I'm definitely feeling lucky. [36] Several tombstones in the Cap Anderson cemetery were toppled and broken, and some were displaced a small distance. Per the SPC, it continues to be in the top 10 of costliest tornadoes on record. Newscenter 7 meteorologist Jamie Simpson will conduct a live chat about the 1974 Xenia tornado at 12:30 p.m. today at . 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. It would be rebuilt again by January 1970. [6] The tornado first moved across the north edge of Hardinsburg, inflicting F3 damage to homes at that location. What was the wind speed of the xenia Ohio tornado? - Answers The tornado finally dissipated south of Basham, destroying 546 structures, killing 28 people, and injuring 332 others. The station remained on the air delivering weather bulletins and storm-related information until well into the early morning hours of April 4. The town's downtown area was also heavily damaged, with many brick businesses and two churches completely destroyed. At one point, the National Weather Service was tracking five funnel clouds on its local radar at the airport. But thanks to early warning from an MP picket line on Rideout Road (now Research Park Boulevard (SR 255)), there were only three, relatively minor, injuries. Further analysis by Ted Fujita indicated that at the start of the tornado path near Otterbein, downburst winds (also called "twisting downburst") disrupted the tornado's inflow which caused it to briefly dissipate before redeveloping near Brookston in White County at around 4:50pm EDT and then traveled for 109 miles (175km). Been googling a bit, and wondered about some of the other ones. We know we can pull together.. . Riddle Elementary School was badly damaged as well. The F5 category tornado brought winds up to 250 miles an hour, bulldozing a half-mile-wide swath through Xenia. In Madison alone, where seven of the fatalities took place, about 300 homes were destroyed. And historically, these devastating tornadoes have happened once a decade since the 1970s," said WCPO Chief Meteorologist Steve Raleigh, adding this warning: WATCH long-time WCPO reporter Tom McKee's recollection of the 1974 tornadoes: There have been eight official tornado days here since 1968 and that's not counting a deadly storm in 1986 that caused severe damage in Northern Kentucky to the airport, Fort Thomas, Covington and Newport. A portion of Fujita's track analysis focused on the northern portion of the outbreak. The tornado continued to strengthen south of Berry, and two people were killed near the Walker County line when a church was destroyed. Cathrine Wilson recalls that someone told her mother a bad storm was coming. [29], A total of 18 people were killed during the storm including five people from Fort Wayne when their mini-bus fell 50 feet (15m) into the Tippecanoe River near Monticello. She received head injuries and died the next day. [8] These storms, forming after 23:00 UTC, produced some of the most powerful tornadoes of the outbreak, including a large and long-tracked F4 that struck the western and central portions of Alabama, tracking for just over 110 miles (180km), two F5s that both slammed into Tanner, causing extensive fatalities, an extremely potent F5 that devastated Guin in Alabama, and multiple violent, deadly tornadoes that affected and caused fatalities in Tennessee. [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. The tornado first touched down near the small community of Mt. The tornado approaching the city of Madison. 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. Their neighbors were thrown from their home, too. This forced people to come together, she says, but it doesnt really last, and thats unfortunate. A 1982 case study of Xenias recovery by the Disaster Research Center at Ohio State University documents conflicts over residential planning, urban renewal, rezoning, and racial and socioeconomic inequities conflicts every municipality must navigate, writ large post-disaster. [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. But the cataclysmic storm system wasn't done. [7] Meanwhile, a large mesoscale convective system (MCS) that had developed overnight in Arkansas continued to strengthen due to strong environmental lapse rates. Were a tough group, says Xenia Mayor Sarah Mays. [6] This was the second state to have been hit by more than two F5 tornadoes during the 1974 Super Outbreak. 1999 F5 tornado . [54] The Walker County courthouse sustained major damage, and a new fire station was completely leveled. 75K views 3 years ago The deadliest tornado of the April 3-4 Super Outbreak! More than 500 homes. Xenia isnt alone in being struck by twisters. The F2 tornado spared lives this time but left reportedly $1.22 million of damage to clean up. Scripps School of Journalism. [67], In Alderson, West Virginia, "tornado-like winds" caused extensive damage to homes and businesses primarily along WV 3, some of which had their roof torn off. Over 1,000 houses, 200 mobile homes and numerous other outbuildings, automobiles, power lines and trees were completely demolished or heavily damaged. The multi-vortex structure grew larger as it approached Xenia. [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. A total of 319 were killed in 148 tornadoes from April 3 through April 4 and 5,484 were injured. The Cincinnati/Sayler Park tornado; photo taken near Bridgetown. It poured down on top of us.. 1 dead, 1 injured following crash into Preble County pond, Highway Patrol serves at One Bistro in Xenia for Everybody Eats Week. A bathtub deeply embedded into the ground in Harvest, Alabama. It was just as much of a total wipeout as you can have. Aerial photos of the Xenia debris fields and Cincinnatians snapshots of the Sayler Park funnel cloud helped scientists unravel what happened in the chaos. Thirty-one people have died locally in tornadoes and severe storms since 1968. The Brandenburg tornado is the only tornado to produce F5/EF5 damage in the state of Kentucky. Xenia didnt even have sirens to wail. Home destroyed in Piner, Kentucky, in 2012. [32] The tornado itself had contradicted a long-time myth that a tornado would "not follow terrain into steep valleys" as while hitting Monticello, it descended a 60-foot (18m) hill near the Tippecanoe River and heavily damaged several homes immediately afterwards. HUD arrived to organize housing, and President Nixon made an unannounced visit just days after the tragedy. Twenty-five years ago this weekend, the town of Xenia, Ohio was crushed by . All NOAA, Hazards Cars were overturned in the streets. She remembered the sound like a freight train and their house shaking. By 18:00 UTC, CAPE values in excess of 2,500 J/kg were present over the lower Ohio and the Mississippi Valley. 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. Xenia, Ohio and its history of tornadoes. Have a few questions. Possibly one of the most powerful tornadoes to ever hit Ohio happened in Xenia in 1974. Audio will be available later today. A total of 315 people died in 11 states died during the two-day outbreak. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration At the same time, the forward-propagating MCS spread into the Tennessee and Ohio valleys, where it evolved into the first of three main convection bands that produced tornadoes. 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. Tornados near Xenia, Ohio - GeoStat.org ** 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 On Sunday morning, 700 members of the Ohio National Guard arrived to help cleanup and rescue efforts. The fierce 100-123 mile per hour winds damaged 106 houses and 10 businesses, leaving many without power. 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. Heard on All Things Considered. [54] Trees in town were debarked, ground scouring occurred, and vehicles were thrown and mangled as well. A large festival tent at St. GertrudeChurch on Miami Avenue at Shawnee Run Road in Madeira wasblown down, temporarily trapping 100 people inside. When the storm reached central Xenia at 4:40pm, apartment buildings, homes, businesses, churches, and schools including Xenia High School were destroyed. A collection of dramatic photographs from the Dayton Daily News archive documents the ruin a tornado left in Xenia on April 3, 1974. A powerful springtime low pressure system developed across the North American Interior Plains on April 1. The F-5 tornado left 33 people dead and more than 1,300 injured. [55], In total, the storm took three lives, but injured one hundred and fifty residents of Jasper or Cullman. They did the best they could, says Bayless. Overall damage according to the NOAA was estimated at US$250 million with US$100 million damage in Monticello alone. [6] The town's downtown area was also devastated with 18 of the fatalities occurring along Green Street alone. US Dept of Commerce [70] President Nixon approved federal aid for Fayette, Greenbriar, Raleigh, and Wyoming Countieson April11. The mid-latitude low-pressure center over Kansas continued to deepen to 980mb (28.94inHg), and wind speeds at the 850-mb level increased to 50kn (58mph) (25.7m/s (93km/h)) over portions of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. It also heavily damaged the Penn Central bridge over the Tippecanoe River. NWS surveyors noted that a pickup truck in this area was carried a half block over the roofs of five homes before being smashed to the ground. Here are 3 of the biggest tornadoes to come through Ohio: April 11, 1965, was the second most dangerous single day for tornadoes in Ohio, (the first happening in 1924). The . Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, PODCAST: High School Insider with Mike Dyer. She had five cracked ribs and a collapsed lung. [6][54] The same supercell then re-strengthened and produced a new tornado just south of the town of Decatur. It began as a moderate-sized tornado, then intensified while moving northeast at about 50 mph (80 km/h). Tornado Distance; 1. SEE how the Enhanced Fujita Scale, adopted in 2007, measures tornadoes. Total damage from the tornadoes and thunderstorms in the state reached $3,655,000, more than half of which was incurred by Raleigh County. Because the middle school lost its roof, 340 students had to cram into the high school to finish the school year. Zelphia Taylor, 45, and her husband, Norman, were in a car that was flipped several times by high winds at Reading and Galbraith. More than 500 homes were damaged along with the death of four people and multiple injuries. 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. Photograph courtesy of National Weather Service. [54] The tornado crossed Lewis Smith Lake and moved across the south side of Cullman at 7:40 pm. Morgan Elementary School in northern Harrison County Indiana was directly hit by the tornado. [49] Crossing the Tennessee River into Limestone County as a large waterspout, the tornado flattened a -milewide swath of trees on the opposite bank. A list of all F1 or larger tornados that touched down near Xenia, Ohio over the last 75 years. 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. [74][75] The primary purpose of the act was to overhaul how disasters are handled on a federal level and to make acquiring federal aid easier. Damage to the campus alone was estimated at US$10 million. [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. 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. The storms killed 307, injured 5,454, and destroyed around 1,400 buildings. Earlier in the day, the famous Xenia, Ohio tornado was also an F5 in this outbreak (32 killed). A view of the destroyed Presbyterian Church in Monticello. 1964-6-23 - F1 Tornado: 1.9 mi. The Shawnee Indians who occupied many states in the Ohio River Valley including Ohio long ago referred to the area that would become Xenia as the land of the devil wind or land of the crazy wind, depending on which source you trust. [17] The tornado had a peak width of 7001,760 yards (6401,610m). "That was an eerie feeling. Copyright 2016 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. Lightning was lighting up all over the place.". 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. At one point, 15 separate tornadoes were ongoing at the same time. [7] Meanwhile, a new band of scattered thunderstorms developed at 15:00 UTC over eastern Arkansas and Missouri; over the next four hours, this band became the focus for several intense supercells, starting in eastern Illinois and southern Indiana. 1974 Xenia Tornado: Recalling the devastation - Yahoo News More than 350 homes were destroyed and hundreds more were badly damaged. The Mason tornado, which started in the northern Cincinnati subdivisions of Arlington Heights and Elmwood Place, was rated F4 and took two lives, while the Warren County tornado was rated an F2 and injured 10. Read all the stories here. We are now partners with the Storm Front Freaks. Ten tornadoes touched down in the Tri-State on the day before Reds Opening Day, starting around 4 p.m. and continuing into the night. But neither she nor Bayless faults their predecessors. Several F2 and F3 tornadoes had struck portions of the Ohio Valley and the South in a separate, earlier outbreak on April 1 and 2, which included three killer tornadoes in Kentucky, Alabama, and Tennessee. Hope,[46] and then tracked into Mt. [8] This first convective band moved rapidly northeast, at times reaching speeds of about 60kn (69mph) (30.9m/s (111km/h)). Numerous buildings and storefronts were heavily damaged in downtown Jasper, and many streets were blocked with trees and power lines. Later in the day, strong daytime heating caused instability to further rise. Four classrooms were destroyed and the roof was removed from the school and placed on the cars of the faculty. When a tornado roars into a populated area, the change is often . The same system that spawned the Xenia tornado first came through Greater Cincinnati. The 1974 Tornado That Destroyed Xenia and Prompted Changes to Weather Reporting, The Last Days of Cincinnatis Notorious Noodle Factory Saloon, Beauty Boutique Essentiel Opens in Oakley. gHWO At the same time, a third supercell was crossing the state line near the track of the previous two. 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. An estimated 180 businesses and 1,200 housesincluding the Arrowhead subdivision where Wilson livedwere flattened, along with 10 churches, two elementary schools, and the junior high. 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. Forste died in the rubble of her house as Gorth and others tried to rescue her. The Guin tornado was originally believed by Fujita to have had a 132 miles (212km) long path, that went all the way from Vernon, to the small town of Hytop, just a few miles south of the Tennessee state line. [3] and became very large as it approached town. That EF3-EF4 tornado struck late on a Friday afternoon. The tornado finally dissipated northeast of Cullman a short time later. Multiple homes and shopping centers were damaged or destroyed in the area, resulting in one death and 36 injuries. [51][52], While tornadoes were causing devastation in the northwesternmost corner of the state, another supercell crossing the Mississippi-Alabama state line produced another violent tornado that touched down in Pickens County before heading northeast for nearly 2 hours towards the Jasper area causing major damage to its downtown as the F4 storm struck. The F-5 storm that destroyed or damaged thousands of homes, businesses and schools was responsible for 33 deaths, and hundreds more injured. It then traveled through Boone County, Kentucky, producing F4 damage in the Taylorsport area before crossing the Ohio River a second time into Ohio. He told them to get under the couch - just in time. With winds up to 70 miles per hour, the F4 tornado caused major structural damage throughout the city that night, including at the fairgrounds, churches, and businesses like Groceryland (now Grocerylan), which was flattened. how the Enhanced Fujita Scale, adopted in 2007, measures tornadoes. Fifty-one years ago, on Aug. 9, 1969, a tornado struck near Galbraith and Reading roads in Reading, leaving four dead and more than 200 injured. I never even heard it coming, said the driver, Donald Busch Jr. of Blanchester, Ohio. The fireman on duty at the time took shelter underneath a nearby bridge, and survived without injury. Gov. Sorry, the location you searched for was not found. Eighty-eight buildings in southern Kenton County were destroyed, including Janet Cooper's 175-year-old home. Xenia tornado: Photos of the damage from the 1974 storm - dayton-daily-news Xenia tornado 49 years later - The Xenia Gazette Xenia remains determined 40 years after tornado hit - dayton-daily-news 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. 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. 3. It also killed 250 horses in Butler County on its way to Xenia. These storms formed the second of three convective bands to generate tornadoes. Areas near Palmyra and Borden were also heavily affected by the tornado. 4. A total of 19 people were killed in this tornado. There were no fatalities there, a blessing that may be attributed in part to the fact that the Xenia disaster had put residents on high alert. There were a record 30 F4-F5 tornadoes in six states in a 24-hour period (April 3-4). "[62] Surveyor J.B. Elliot noted that the destruction was so complete, that even some of the foundations were "dislodged, and in some cases swept away." "The transition from winter to spring brings these deadly storms. The National Weather Service said the system was part of a. 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 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. Aftermath The Great Tri-State 1925. It continues to be in the top 10 of costliest tornadoes on record. Data courtesy of NOAA Severe Weather Database. 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. The 1974 F5 wasnt the only twister to hit Xenia even though its wrath is unmatched. A Fairborn medic assists after a tornado hit Xenia in 2000. It is surprising that such a traumatic event could ever be forgotten. The 1974 tornadoes forced updates to weather technology, storm warning systems, and federal disaster recovery. A small pickup truck on I-71 was pickedup and dropped upside-down on the concrete barrier in the middle of the highway. Tornadoes struck Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and New York. Those tornadoes killed five people in Hamilton County and sent more than 200 injured to hospitals. A small tornado, spotted in the field along Fairground Road, struck Xenia at 9:35 p.m. April 25, 1989. Weather Service documented 148 tornados in 24 hours, labeling the phenomenon The Super Outbreak. Most people simply remember the catastrophe by the name of the southwestern Ohio town that saw the worst of it: the Xenia Tornado. Carl Nichols and resident look back at Xenia tornado [22] Central State University also sustained considerable damage, and a water tower there was toppled. Tornado Anniversary : NPR [28] It also struck portions of six other counties, with the hardest hit being White County and its town of Monticello. Noble from the family farm on Stone Road near Hook Road. Xenias nightmare landscape has long been cleaned up, but Mays notes that there are still reminders of the struggle to revive the city. Afterwards, the tornado weakened before dissipating in Clark County near South Vienna, traveling a little over 30 miles (48km). While moving into the Mississippi and Ohio Valley areas, a surge of unusually moist air intensified the storm further, while there were sharp temperature contrasts between both sides of the system. Questions? A caboose was knocked off the tracks into a field. 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. The twister was part of one of the worst tornado breakouts in US history. The Guin Tornado traveled over 79.5 miles (127.9km), from the town of Vernon, Alabama, to just south of the small town of Basham, before lifting just after 10:30pm CDT. The path of the second tornado, which formed at 7:35pm CDT was 83 miles in length, also had a peak width of 500 yards, and the storm formed along the north bank Tennessee River less than a mile from the path of the earlier storm; with much of its path very closely paralleling its predecessor as it tore through Limestone and Madison Counties. Please Contact Us. [6], Severe thunderstorms on April4 brought 1 to 3in (2.5 to 7.6cm) of rain to tornado-stricken areas of northwest Georgia. [1] However, that tornado may itself have been composed of three individual tornadoes. Crossing into Winston County, the tornado struck the small community of Delmar, destroying additional homes and killing 5 people. It was later recovered several miles downstream. Upon exiting Xenia, the tornado passed through Wilberforce, heavily damaging several campus and residential buildings of Wilberforce University. Aaron obliged in the first inning and the crowd and the city came back to life. "This boggles the mind," Ohio Gov. [71] The West Virginia State Department of Highways provided two water trucks. Homes swept away and scattered across fields near Hazel Green, Alabama, as a result of the second F5 tornado to impact the area. [69] The National Guard provided four-wheel drive vehicles for search and rescue efforts. The U.S. Bob Taft who now lives in Greene County and City Manager Jim Percival declared a state of emergency that night. Tanner was hit by yet another EF5 tornado during the 2011 Super Outbreak. 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. Multiple locations were found. Devastation in Xenia: Resident and Carl Nichols looks back at the Xenia Rows of old-growth trees in Terrace Park were splintered and toppled. One passenger did survive the fall. It was also the most violent tornado outbreak ever recorded, with 30 F4/F5 tornadoes confirmed. The roof was sheared off of Lakeshore Drive Apartments on Galbraith Road. There was just nothing left," he said. Fifty-one years ago, on Aug. 9, 1969, a tornado struck near Galbraith and Reading roads in Reading, leaving four dead and more than 200 injured. Hundreds of trees were down, completely blocking every campus road. The 1974 Tornado That Destroyed Xenia and Prompted Changes to Weather [6], Seven F5 tornadoes were observedone each in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, three in Alabama and the final one which crossed through parts of Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. The 1974 Super Outbreak was the second-largest tornado outbreak on record for a single 24-hour period, just behind the 2011 Super Outbreak. 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. The tornado exhibited a multiple-vortex structure and became very large as it approached town. [citation needed] Meanwhile, the next F5 tornado to hit the state was on April 4, 1977 near Birmingham. The tornado then finally dissipated near Oliver Lake airfield. On April 3, 1974 49 years ago much of Xenia was leveled by a powerful F5 tornado. [6] Overall, six were killed by the storm and 86 were injured. Xenia's F5 tornado struck 45 years ago, leaving the town changed