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🌪️ Tornado Talk Updates!

We are buttoning up our changes to the Guin Narrative series and plan to do a formal release on July 1. This is a premium narrative series available to Patreon members. We will also be launching this in our Patreon shop! You will be able to unlock the narrative and read it on your computer or mobile device as you would any of our stories. The price is $15 for this digital e-book which contains never before seen photos and video of the aftermath of the Guin F5 on April 3, 1974. Included are detailed stories of the communities impacted from the beginning of the path to the end, detailed maps, satellite imagery and more!

After this release, I will be working on a Kindle version. It will contain all of the stories, some imagery and maps, but much less than what the online version contains! Look for updates on our social media accounts this week on the release and I will also have details in next week’s newsletter!

🌪️ This Week In Tornado History

June 30, 1814 - South Carolina: Thomas Grazulis documents an event in Beaufort County, SC. “A tornado moved to the E out over Port Royal Sound. In this waterspout form, the vortex hit the schooner Alligator, sinking it, and drowning at least 23 of the 40 people aboard.” It moved back over land and ripped apart thousands of trees on Paris Island.

July 1, 2021 - Washington, DC: On this day, two tornadoes struck Washington, DC. The first one, an EF1, touched down in Arlington, VA, and tracked east for 4.4 miles, crossing the Potomac and across the National Mall, dissipating near the Washington Monument. Numerous trees were downed, and temporary fences near the White House’s Eclipse for the 4th of July fireworks were destroyed. Per the NWS, “The fencing appeared to have been “lifted up and twisted, landing in a mangled and haphazard manner.” The second tornado, an EF0, touched down briefly for one mile in the H Street Corridor neighborhood, causing tree damage.

July 2, 1986 - North Carolina: There were numerous storms across North Carolina on this day. Several reports of non-tornado damage from straight line winds. This appears to be a tornado that was embedded within a line that pushed through the area. Most of the damage was done to the Triangle Trailer Park in Jacksonville. A woman, her infant child and a 4-year-old she was babysitting died when their trailer home was flipped trapping them inside. Ten mobile homes were destroyed.

July 3, 1945 - South Dakota: Two tornadoes occurred in Beadle County, SD on this day. One, rated F3, destroyed 17 farms NW of Huron. Approximately 500 chickens and 50 head of livestock were killed. The second was given an F2 rating and was related to the F3. It moved SE from 7 miles SE of Huron. A barn was destroyed.

July 4, 1978 - North Dakota: It is the deadliest Independence Day tornado on record. Five were killed as an F4 tornado destroyed approximately 17 blocks of Elgin, ND. In addition, 45 homes/trailers were heavily damaged.

July 5, 1643 - Massachusetts: From Thomas Grazulis about an event in Essex County, MA: “According to the journal of the Governor of Masschusetts, a Native American Indian was killed by a falling tree during a ‘sudden gust’ – A meeting house was also destroyed. While many books list this as the first recorded American tornado, it was probably a gust front or downburst-type storm.”

July 6, 2001 - South Carolina: A tornado made a trek through parts of Myrtle Beach, SC on July 6, 2001. It began near the Myrtle Beach Pavilion at 9th Ave N and moved just offshore becoming a waterspout. It skirted the beach causing F2 damage, overturning buses and causing damage to hotels along the beach. After moving down the beachfront, the tornado skipped over and hit the Seagate RV park. 10 RVs destroyed, 40 more damaged. There was also weaker F0 damage at the Myrtle Beach International Airport. There were 39 injuries and no fatalities.

🌪️ Twister Time: Bonus Round

This photo is not AI! It is the real deal….June 28, 2025 in Gary, SD.

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