A Terrifying, Deadly Storm Struck Alabama In 1974 And No One Saw It Coming
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Jennifer Young
Author
Alabama has definitely seen its fair share of storms. From hurricanes and tornadoes, to blizzards and ice storms, Alabama has experienced some of the most devastating natural disasters in U.S. history. One natural disaster that’s among the most devastating in U.S. history is the “1974 Super Outbreak.”
The 1974 Super Outbreak, which took place April 3-4, was the second-largest tornado outbreak to ever occur within 24 hours. It used to be the largest tornado outbreak in U.S. history until the devastating 2011 Super Outbreak, which took place April 25-28.
This outbreak produced a total of 148 confirmed tornadoes, which struck the following 13 states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Michigan, Alabama, Georgia, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio and New York. The 1974 Super Outbreak began around 1:00 pm (April 3) in Morris, Illinois and ended in Caldwell County, North Carolina around 7:00 am (April 4).
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After 18 hours of tornado activity, the results of the 1974 Super Outbreak were $3.5 billion USD worth of damage, a death toll of 319 and 5,484 injuries.
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Having produced seven F5 tornadoes and 23 F4 tornadoes, the 1974 Super Outbreak was one of the most violent outbreaks in U.S. history. At the time of this outbreak, the national average was only about seven tornadoes per year.
Posted below is a great documentary about the 1974 Super Outbreak. If you have a few minutes to spare, it’s definitely worth watching.
Do you remember where you were the day of this tornado outbreak? For more natural disasters that happened in Alabama, click here.
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