 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 | 42 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 a violent F5 tornado that destroyed a large portion of Xenia and Wilberforce, Ohio, United States on the afternoon of April 3, 1974. It 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][4][5] The 1974 Xenia tornado is 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. 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.
- ^ 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
StormEventsDatabasewas 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.
- ^ a b U.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.