Thirty were violent tornadoes, rated at least F4. Six of the violent tornadoes were F5, the most intense tornadoes in the Fujita – now Enhanced Fujita – scale. As of April 2020, it's been almost seven years since the U.S.

Has seen a single EF5 tornado.Forty-eight of those 148 tornadoes were deadly, claiming 307 lives, with 5,454 injured.The total path length of all those tornadoes was a staggering 2,521 miles, roughly the distance between New York City and Las Vegas. The total damage was estimated to be $1.5 billion. The April 3-4, 1974, Super Outbreak tornado tracks as determined by the research team lead by Dr. Theodore Fujita. Fujita, The University of Chicago)Among the hardest-hit cities were:-Xenia, Ohio: 34 killed, $100 million damage from an F5 tornado-Monticello, Indiana: 109-mile path was the longest track of the outbreak-Brandenburg, Kentucky: 28 killed by an F5 tornado-Guin, Alabama: Town leveled by an F5 tornado moving at a forward speed of 75 mphAt one point, 16 tornadoes were in progress simultaneously in Indiana alone.After this Super Outbreak, several important advances in both science and public awareness of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes were spurred.

Some took two decades to fully implement; others were phased in more quickly.Here are eight things we may take for granted today that were not in place during the 1974 Super Outbreak. Our Radar Network Was Sorely InadequateBy now, you've heard of Doppler radar. Not only is there a network of National Weather Service Doppler radars, but many local television stations also have their own.In 1974, Doppler radar was merely in development in the research community. Radar available to operational meteorology was crude by modern standards.' The radar was very manually intensive, and took a lot of experience for correct storm interpretation,' said Allan Fisher, who was a meteorologist at the NWS in Chicago at the time.

Radar image from the WSR-57 radar at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport showing the hook echo associated with the Xenia, Ohio, tornado on April 3, 1974. Seal of evil walkthrough. (NOAA)Lacking Doppler radar's capability to measure the motion of rain, hail and snow relative to the radar site, meteorologists couldn't diagnose developing rotation in thunderstorms, occasionally a precursor for tornadogenesis. The 1974 Super Outbreak gave a boost in urgency for Doppler radar research and development.While it took another two decades, the national network of Doppler radars gradually replaced the aging WSR-74 (for 1974) and WSR-57 (for 1957) radars in the 1990s. We Needed More Warning Lead Time. Radar reflectivity and tornado warning (purple polygon) near Rockville, Maryland, on June 13, 2013. (Gibson Ridge)In the pre-Doppler era, forecasters in 1974 were often unable to issue tornado warnings simply based on examining the green splotches on their radar. Until visual confirmation of a tornado was received, a warning was typically not issued.Today, while only a small fraction of rotating thunderstorms actually produce tornadoes, lead time for tornado warnings ranges from 8 to 15 minutes.

In some cases where a long-track supercell repeatedly spawns tornadoes, the lead time can be up to 30 minutes. We Needed to Receive Warnings InstantlyIn 1974, tornado warnings were disseminated using a teletype system in which warnings had to be punched into a paper tape, then manually fed through a reader. Teletype machines are lined up in the Fort Wayne, Indiana, National Weather Service office in June 1967.

(NOAA/NWS)With multiple tornadoes in progress at one time on April 3, 1974, there was a warning bottleneck. Some warnings weren't transmitted until an hour after the original issuance time.A faster weather wire was implemented soon after the Super Outbreak, and warnings were properly prioritized over other NWS products.Today, we can receive warnings via television, social media, or the instant they are issued. NOAA's Weather Radio Network Had to ExpandGiven the bottleneck of transmitting numerous warnings via teletype during the Super Outbreak, the NWS knew it needed a better way to get a warning directly to the public.What resulted was an expansion of the NOAA Weather Radio network from 50 to 60 stations, mostly in large cities near the coasts, to include 330 more.For the first time, anyone with a weather radio could be alerted immediately when their local NWS office issued a warning for their area.

An alert tone feature was later added to wake someone at night.(MORE: ). (NOAA)That network would grow to cover 95 percent of the nation's population after the Palm Sunday 1994 tornado outbreak.Today, there are over 1,000 transmitters covering all 50 states, coastal waters, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Pacific territories. Better School Safety Awareness, Outdoor Sirens NeededAlthough they were done in many tornado-prone states like Kansas and Oklahoma, some schools hit during the Super Outbreak had never conducted a tornado drill.The town of Monticello, Indiana, lost three schools to one tornado. Twenty-four schools were damaged in Indiana alone, according to former NWS Central Region Director Richard Augulis. Seven of the 12 schools in Xenia, Ohio, were hit in the outbreak. School buses rest April 5, 1974, on the remains of the high school where they were tossed by a tornado that went through the town in Xenia, Ohio.

(AP Photo)'Evidence from the damaged buildings supported the claim that inside hallways provide the safest place and that classrooms with outside walls and gymnasiums with wide roof spans are the most dangerous places for students at school during severe weather,' said Augulis.While tornado sirens were meant for those outdoors, a large number of communities invested in them after the Super Outbreak. Tornado Myths Were DebunkedThe Super Outbreak delivered the final blow to several long-standing myths.First, based on damage surveys, meteorologists proved that buildings do not explode due to pressure differences as the tornado passes through. Therefore, wasting precious seconds opening windows to equalize pressure won't do any good.Other debunked myths involved tornadoes overcoming terrain.The Guin, Alabama, tornado climbed, then descended 1,640-foot Monte Sano Mountain, intensifying as it descended. So much for hills or mountains destroying a tornado.The belief of rivers somehow mitigating tornadoes was also blown apart by the infamous Sayler Park, Ohio, F5 tornado, which crossed the Ohio River. The Sayler Park, Ohio, tornado of April 3, 1974. (Frank Altenau via NWS-Wilmington, Ohio) 7. A Blueprint For More Routine Storm SurveysWhile damage surveys had been conducted before, the Super Outbreak offered an opportunity to conduct the largest, most comprehensive storm survey up to that point.Starting from initial reports from the National Severe Storms Forecast Center – now called the Storm Prediction Center – and local newspapers, famed tornado researcher Dr.

Emmy Award Winning documentary (5 part series) on the April 3, 1974 Tornado Outbreak which aired on WDRB in Louisville during the 40th anniversary of the event. Individual segments dedicated to.

Theodore Fujita and his group from the University of Chicago investigated every tornado track over more than three months. This group included now-retired severe weather expert Dr. Greg Forbes of The Weather Channel.In April 1974 alone, Fujita logged over 13,000 flight miles in his Cessna as he conducted aerial surveys, Forbes previously told weather.com.The aerial surveys also found starburst-shaped damage patterns that were later connected to downburst winds, a that led to major improvements in aviation safety.Today, storm surveys can sometimes be conducted in a few hours by a team from the local NWS office. Frequently, photos and reports during the survey itself are sent via each NWS office's social media accounts. We also now have an rolled out in 2007 with more damage indicators, allowing storm survey crews to give better estimates of tornado wind speeds.Dr. Fujita's landmark survey of the 1974 Super Outbreak set the standard. A Severe Weather Expert Almost Turned TropicalDr.

Greg Forbes, hurricane expert. That could have happened, if not for the Super Outbreak.Forbes was a graduate student at the University of Chicago under Fujita in early 1974.' Fujita was running out of research funds to support my studies,' Forbes said. 'I was literally in an interview to possibly get funding that would have had me studying the formation of tropical storms off the coast of Africa when a hailstorm came over our building.' Just after the Super Outbreak, Forbes was told by Fujita his funding would be renewed.' My doctoral studies were primarily supported by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, who wanted to know more about tornado intensity and characteristics in order to ensure reactor safety,' Forbes said.

The April 3 rd and 4 th 1974 Tornado Outbreak in AlabamaAlabama was one of several states devastated by the 'Super Outbreak,' as April 3rd and 4th, 1974, has become known. This date certainly represents one of the darkest times in Alabama weather history. During the late afternoon and evening hours of April 3, 1974, at least eight tornadoes, including four extremely intense and long-lived storms, brought death and extreme storm destruction to Alabama. Eighty-six persons were killed, 949 were injured, and damages exceeded $50 million.

Sixteen counties in the northern part of the state were hit the hardest.Severe weather began about 4:30 pm CDT, when a brief tornado touchdown caused damage, but no casualties, in the Concord area 8 miles west of Birmingham. Less than an hour later, another tornado strike caused tree and power line damage 8 miles west of Jacksonville (Calhoun County). About 6:30 pm CDT a third tornado hit Cherokee County, injuring 20 persons, while even more powerful storms were spawning farther to the northwest.Alabama's major tornado activity began when a tornado touched ground near Newburg (Franklin County) at 6:30 pm CDT and plowed viciously northeastward. This tornado moved on the ground continuously for 85 miles in Alabama before it entered Tennessee.

Reports at the time described it as 'big and powerful and taking everything in its path.' Severely damaged were rural areas of northern Lawrence County, the communities of Tanner, in Limestone County, and Harvest and Hazel Green, in Madison County. This tornado entered Limestone County about 7:05 pm CDT.

At 7:35 pm CDT, in nearly the exact point of entry near the Tennessee River, a second major tornado began and followed the first tornado. Its 20-mile-long path varied from that of its predecessor by only a block to less than 2 miles. This storm struck hard and hindered rescue units moving into the area. Many communities were hit twice in 30 minutes. Well over half of Alabama's storm deaths and many of the injuries were caused by these two tornadoes, which killed 55, injured 408, and caused destruction or heavy damage to over 1,100 buildings, more than 200 mobile homes, and numerous motor vehicles.Even as these storms were occurring, other tornadoes were taking place farther south. At 7:00 pm CDT, a tornado touched down 5 miles north of Aliceville (Pickens County) and moved almost continuously on the ground for nearly an hour before hitting Jasper (Walker County) at 7:58 pm CDT. It moved northeastward and heavily damaged a four-block area in southeast Cullman about 8:40 pm.

This storm finally lifted over northeast Cullman County, leaving 3 dead and 178 injured.As this tornado was dissipating, the final storms of the outbreak began their havoc. Earlier, strong wind and large hail had hit Columbus, Mississippi, and a funnel cloud was sighted at Starkville, MS. At 8:50 pm CDT a very powerful tornado touched down 6 miles north of Vernon (Lamar County) and produced a path of destruction toward the northeast. It moved through Guin (Marion County) about 9:04 pm CDT, killing 23 people and injuring 250 in the area. In Winston County, it left Delmar with 5 dead and heavy damage. In the Bankhead National Forest, it bit into deep gorges and exposed ridges and destroyed much timber.

Shortly after this the tornado lifted, but another tornado moved northeast to strike south Huntsville at 10:50 pm CDT. There was severe damage at the Redstone Arsenal and in south Huntsville. Staff members at the Weather Service Office in Huntsville were forced to temporarily abandon their hectic duties. Shortly after 11:00 pm CDT, this final storm of the outbreak in Alabama moved across Monte Sano (elevation 1,640 feet) just east of Huntsville, and broke up over western Jackson County. The final two tornadoes killed 28, injured 332, and, destroyed or heavily damaged over 850 buildings, 250 mobile homes, and 60 small businesses.April 3rd and 4th, 1974, ranks as the third worst tornado outbreak in Alabama history.

It is surpassed by the tornado outbreak of March 21, 1932, when over 270 people died in a series of tornadoes, as well as the historic outbreak of April 27, 2011, when 238 Alabamians lost their lives.Alabamians are reminded over and over again of the power and fury that nature can unleash.