On April 9, 1999, an EF4 tornado with 200-mph winds smashed into heavily-populated Blue Ash, Montgomery and Symmes Township just . Xenia Ohio 1974. A water pump was completely lifted out of a wellhouse along SR 157 in this area. Damage at the intersection of Drake Avenue and Memorial Parkway in Huntsville. 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. It was also the most violent tornado outbreak ever recorded, with 30 F4/F5 tornadoes confirmed. Ground scouring occurred in this area, as reddish soil was dug up and plastered against trees. "You don't realize how much material things really don't mean until you lose someone," Gorth said. Hope,[46] and then tracked into Mt. Most of the images have been matched to lat/lon coordinates. They were killed. Multiple locations were found. The 1974 tornado heads toward Greene Memorial Hospital. 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. [55] The tornado then reached Monte Sano Mountain, which has an elevation of 1,640 feet (500m), where additional homes were torn apart. The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County has been making sure the 1969 tornado is remembered by collecting photos of the storm and aftermath to be scanned into the Digital Library and recording oral history interviews. 1974 . "It was pure black. 1999 F5 tornado . Train cars near the plant blown off the tracks and thrown into the building. It is surprising that such a traumatic event could ever be forgotten. Sorry, the location you searched for was not found. The most recent official National Weather Service records show that both[58][59] of the Tanner tornadoes were rated F5. Huntsville was affected shortly before 11:00 pm EDT by a strong F3 tornado produced by the same thunderstorm that produced the Guin tornado. 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. The Wawasee Airport was hard hit, where hangars were destroyed and planes were thrown and demolished. [6] The town's downtown area was also devastated with 18 of the fatalities occurring along Green Street alone. [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. 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. +Cincinnati Magazine looks back to see how Cincinnatians of the past made it through their dark days and to the leaders of todays efforts to move forward. A large floating restaurant barge at this location was lifted, ripped from its moorings, and flipped by the tornado. 6. According to a WHAS-TV Louisville reporter in a special report about the outbreak, 90% of Hanover was destroyed or severely damaged, including the Hanover College campus. On Sunday morning, 700 members of the Ohio National Guard arrived to help cleanup and rescue efforts. ** 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 . The highest recorded wind speed was in the. 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. From the archives: Deadly tornado struck Xenia and Cincinnati 46 years ago SEE how the Enhanced Fujita Scale, adopted in 2007, measures tornadoes. It was also noted for the rarity in that its path was in parts of three states. 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. ", The same system that spawned the Xenia tornado first came through Greater Cincinnati. Xenias nightmare landscape has long been cleaned up, but Mays notes that there are still reminders of the struggle to revive the city. Local Product Criteria. It continued on a path of 32 miles through Xenia and Wilberforce. 5. He said his wife and three sons had called him to the front door to look at a funnel cloud crossing the Ohio River. All three storms swept through communities leaving a deadly and destructive wake. By 18:00 UTC, CAPE values in excess of 2,500 J/kg were present over the lower Ohio and the Mississippi Valley. A total of 19 people were killed in this tornado. Possibly one of the most powerful tornadoes to ever hit Ohio happened in Xenia in 1974. There were a record 30 F4-F5 tornadoes in six states in a 24-hour period (April 3-4). The storm came with no warning from the National Weather Service, but the Emergency Operating Center issued a tornado warning. A total of 35 were killed 33 the day of the tornado and two who died later as a result of the storm. [69] The National Guard provided four-wheel drive vehicles for search and rescue efforts. The same storm would later strike the Cincinnati area, producing multiple tornadoes, including another F5 tornado. [6], Severe thunderstorms on April4 brought 1 to 3in (2.5 to 7.6cm) of rain to tornado-stricken areas of northwest Georgia. 1966-10-9 - F2 Tornado: 5.4 mi. 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). [8] Numerous surface-based supercells began to develop in the southern area, beginning with one that produced an F3 tornado at about 16:30 UTC near Cleveland, Tennessee. Remarkable electrical phenomenon was reported as the tornado passed through Huntsville, with reports of luminous clouds, ball lightning, and multi-colored flashes and glowing areas in the sky as the storm moved through the city. [6] The tornado first struck the Guin Mobile Home Plant as it entered the town, completely obliterating the structure. [8] In the wake of the MCS, backing low-level winds, rapid diurnal destabilization, and perhaps cool, mid-level advection had occurred over the warm sector, weakening the convective inhibition (CINH) layer, and favorable wind profiles bolstered helicity to over 230 m2/sa combination of factors conducive to tornadogenesis. The same system that spawned the Xenia tornado first came through Greater Cincinnati. Nothing was left of the plant but a pile of mangled steel beams, and its foundation was partially pushed clean of debris. He told them to get under the couch - just in time. David Graham died in 1999 . John Gilligan said after touring the area. "We're driving down the roads. Bricks and twisted metal were strewn all overlike building blocks scattered by an angry child. Image courtesy: National Weather Service . Xenia, Ohio has a long history of severe weather, namely tornadoes. It continues to be in the top 10 of costliest tornadoes on record. Some of the worst affected areas were Bridgetown, Mack, Dent and Delhi. Nationally, the total reached $600 million. One home that was swept away sustained total collapse of a poured concrete walk-out basement wall. Tornado Distance; 1. Ohio News; Nation & World; Election 2021; . There were 29 tornadoes in Ohio on July 12, 1992, and 19 on Nov. 10, 2002, the most of any days since 1950. Vault: Remember horriblest Tri-State tornadoes? - WCPO It is uncertain which tornado was the strongest, as most tornadoes do not have their winds measured. [54] The Walker County courthouse sustained major damage, and a new fire station was completely leveled. Numerous homes were destroyed in residential areas, including a few that were leveled. Formula works for Bellbrook in no-hitter at Carroll, Hill sets school record for Beavercreek Sports Digest: April 5, 2025, Transgender woman not guilty of public indecency, County prosecutor presents Victims Rights Week Awards, Children, children advocates honored at breakfast. In comparison, the two tornadoes that hit Xenia and Sayler Park in 1974 were rated F5and the 1999 tornado was an F4. Thirty-three died in the Xenia storm, with countless injuries. This tornado 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. [44], WHAS-AM broke away from its regular programming shortly before the tornado struck Louisville and was on-air live with John Burke, the chief meteorologist at the National Weather Service's Louisville office at Standiford Field when the tornado first descended. 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. [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. 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. Im sure that 30 or 40 years from now people will be saying, Why did they make that decision?. Three of the four deaths caused by the tornado were in a single family. 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. The most damaging and deadly touched down in Xenia, Ohio, where the F5 tornado leveled half of the town in just nine minutes. The fierce 100-123 mile per hour winds damaged 106 houses and 10 businesses, leaving many without power. The 1974 Super Outbreak was the second-largest tornado outbreak on record for a single 24-hour period, just behind the 2011 Super Outbreak. [54] The tornado then became extremely violent as it approached and entered Guin, with multiple areas of F5 damage noted in and around town. All utilities were knocked out and communication with those off campus was nearly impossible. [6] The tornado first moved across the north edge of Hardinsburg, inflicting F3 damage to homes at that location.