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- It Started Over A Year Ago!
It Started Over A Year Ago!
What happens after the anniversary?
Hello everyone! It is hard to believe that Wednesday & Thursday mark the 50th anniversary of the April 3-4, 1974 Super Outbreak!
Over a year ago, The Tornado Talk Team began a journey that has taken us on 3 major trips to do research on the tornadoes from the outbreak. We have on the website detailed writing on two of the events…..and one more is being added and will be available very soon!
We released last week an in depth overview of the Guin, AL F5! This is free to the public.
A few months ago, we released our free overview of the The South Frankfort to Stamping Ground, KY F4 Tornado and Downburst Disaster of April 3, 1974. There are also 11 detailed chapters for Patreon members!
Keep an eye out for our Xenia, OH F5 Overview!
So, what happens after the anniversary? We will be working through the summer on the detailed chapters for both Guin and Xenia. We will also be in a place where we can tackle some other writing and research on events outside of the Super Outbreak.
There will be other deep dives into other 1974 tornadoes as this is a part of a multi-year project!
We also plan to start releasing some of our work as ebooks, so be on the look out for that!
There is so much we want to do and appreciate everyone who supports us! We want to tell as many tornado history stories as we can.
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🌪️ This Week In Tornado History
April 1, 2023 - Hazel Green, AL-Vanntown, TN: On March 31 and April 1, 2023, a large and widespread tornado outbreak took place over the Midwestern and Southern regions of the United States, stretching over to the Atlantic Coast. For two days, 145 twisters contributed to one of the most sizable events on record, taking 27 lives and affecting many more. Twelve of these were rated EF3 or greater across seven states. This summary focuses on a deadly EF3 that took place in northern Alabama and southern Tennessee.
Image from the Damage Assessment Toolkit.
April 2, 1880 - Girard, KS: An estimated F3 tornado crossed 20 miles through Crawford County, KS. It moved from seven miles SW of Girard, passing one mile south of town. Several farms were leveled. “Two children and two adults were killed in four separate homes.”
April 3, 2012 - Forney, TX: An EF3 tornado struck the town of Forney, TX. Seven people were injured as 14 homes were destroyed and 70 others were damaged.
April 4, 1977 - Smithfield, AL: It was a powerful F5 tornado that moved 14.7 miles through parts of Jefferson County, AL on this day. This tornado is named after the area which received the greatest damage: Smithfield Drive and Smithfield Lane. 167 homes were destroyed, 48 had major damage. Daniel Payne college was badly damaged. 22 people were killed.
Image from the NWS Birmingham.
April 5, 1873 - Burlington, IA: An F2 tornado moved east across Burlington, IA. Seven people were killed when the Pond’s Butter and Egg Depot collapsed. Two others died in a nearby home. The roof of school was “blown all over the hillside.” Source: Thomas Grazulis.
April 6, 2018 - Coushatta, LA: An EF2 tornado struck Coushatta, LA. It had a path length of about 10 miles and was over one mile wide at times. It caused extensive tree damage, and several metal buildings were damaged or destroyed.
April 7, 2006 - Goodlettsville-Gallatin, TN: The worst damage was in Sumner County. 700 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed in the county. 80 homes were destroyed in the city of Hendersonville. Volunteer State Community College in SW Gallatin was heavily damaged. Total of 7 fatalities along the path.
Image from the NWS Nashville.
Video of the Week
On Episode 949 of WeatherBrains, we had an amazing set of guests on to discuss the Super Outbreak. Joining us was Dr. Greg Forbes, Steve Corfidi, Ken Graham, and Dr. Joe Golden! Our focus was on the meteorological setup of the event, how things unfolded, the damage surveys, and more!
Many thanks to all of you for subscribing to our newsletter! - Jen Narramore, Owner Tornado Talk
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