User:Cyclonebiskit/1974

On April 3–4, 1974, a violent tornado outbreak described as "the outbreak of the century" caused widespread devastation across 13 states in the United States and 1 Canadian province. Dubbed the "Super Outbreak" and "Jumbo Outbreak", 149 tornadoes touched down in a 24-hour period. It is the second-largest continuous outbreak only behind the 2011 Super Outbreak which produced 358 tornadoes over a three-day period. However, the 1974 outbreak remains the most violent on record with 30 F4/5 tornadoes. At times, up to 15 tornadoes were on the ground simultaneously. A team of meteorologists led by Tetsuya Theodore Fujita studied the outbreak, compiling aerial surveys, ground surveys, photographs, and videos to construct a complete picture of the events. A total of 310–335 fatalities and 5,454 to 6,142 injuries are attributed to the outbreak. Destruction of property was widespread and ruinous: 7,512 homes, 2,091 mobile homes, and 3,996 farm buildings were destroyed; 14,336 homes, 909 mobile homes, and 2,871 farm buildings suffered damage; 1,497 small buisiness were damaged or destroyed. Total damage exceeded $600 million (1974 USD).

Activity occurred across three rounds throughout the 24-hour event, with the second and third being the most prolific.

The scale of destruction prompted sweeping changes in how public awareness of severe weather was handled and a reorganization of the National Weather Service itself. News broadcasters began running storm coverage beyond normal hours and local governments utilized the Emergency Broadcast System more frequently.

Prior to 1990, there is a likely undercount of tornadoes, particularly E/F0–1, with reports of weaker tornadoes becoming more common as population increased. A sharp increase in the annual average E/F0–1 count by approximately 200 tornadoes was noted upon the implementation of Doppler Radar in 1990–1991. 1974 marked the first year where significant tornado (E/F2+) counts became homogenous with contemporary values, attributed to the consistent implementation of Fujita Scale assessments. Numerous discrepancies on the details of tornadoes in this outbreak exist between sources. The total count of tornadoes and ratings differs from various agencies accordingly. The list below documents information from the most contemporary official sources alongside assessments from tornado historian Thomas Grazulis. All times are listed as described in Abbey and Fujita 1981 unless noted otherwise for consistency.

Other events
Multiple funnels were reported with the F5 Sayler Park tornado, two of which may have been distinct tornadoes. There is conflicting information on whether the damage from Waldron to Hudson, Michigan, was caused by one or two tornadoes. The Storm Data publication and NCEI database indicate two, nearly simultaneous F2 tornadoes originating near Waldron. However, Fujita and Grazulis list a single F2 tornado. The Storm Data publication lists a tornado that caused no damage north of Gibson City in Ford County, Illinois. This was not classified as a tornado by Fujita. Fujita initially analyzed a F0 tornado to the southwest of Cherry Log in Gilmer County, Georgia (Fujita tornado #122). This was later reclassified as a "tornado cyclone" rather than a true tornado. During the afternoon of April 4, two tornadoes touched down in southern Alabama. The Macon News listed that additional tornadoes were reported in Powder Springs, Douglasville, Austell, and Marietta. Although temporally close, they are not considered part of the Super Outbreak by Abbey and Fujita 1981 and Corfidi et al. 2010. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that a tornado caused damage to a horse farm and lumber yard in Kenbridge, Lunenburg County, Virginia, with a resident reporting a cone-shaped funnel. The two properties suffered $18,000 in damage.

Depauw–Martinsburg–Daisy Hill, Indiana
This was the first in a series of five consecutive violent tornadoes produced by a single supercell from southern Indiana into extreme northern Kentucky and then southwestern Ohio. The tornado initially touched down south of Huffman around 2:16 p.m. CDT and moved along an east-northeast to northeast path. One person died near the origin point when their mobile home was destroyed. Southeast of Branchville, one person died and another was injured while sheltering in a ditch. The bus they were previously in was thrown 50 ft into the ditch and crushed them. In Crawford County, the tornado grew to over 1 mi. It skirted by several smaller communities but completely destroyed many rural farms. It struck southeastern portions of Depauw, killing one person. While moving through Depauw, no condensation funnel was observed with the tornado despite its intensity and remained that way as it moved into Martinsburg. Another person was killed east of Palmyra. In Washington County, the tornado moved directly through Martinsburg, destroying 38 out of 48 homes in the town. The Indianapolis News described the town as "for all practical purposes is no longer there". Numerous trees were completely stripped of their branches and debarked. The tornado soon struck Daisy Hill where several homes were completely swept away. It ultimately dissipated near New Liberty around 3:25 p.m. CDT after traveling 62 mi.

Decatur, Illinois
This tornado touched down just north of the Sangamon River and traveled along an east-northeast trajectory, damaging several homes as it moved toward Decatur. Residents in the area reported two funnels as the tornado intensified. Many homes were damaged near Wyckles Corners in western Decatur. Many trees were left "mangled and twisted" in the area. After crossing the cloverleaf interchange between I-72 and US 51, it moved across a sparsely populated area of farmland. The few homes that were struck in this area were obliterated as aerial surveys shows concrete slabs and exposed basements and debris strewn across open fields. The tornado then traversed IL-121 and struck the Macon County Fairgrounds. Near the Fairgrounds, one person was killed and another was injured when their mobile home was thrown into a tree and torn apart. At the Macon County Fairgrounds an exhibit housing 21 boats and 2 campers was destroyed and three barns were destroyed; losses reached $100,000. Along Shadow Lane, 26 homes were heavily damaged and 8 others were impacted. A section of a concrete bridge was dislodged and lifted at a construction site along I-72. Across its path, the tornado destroyed 55 homes and damaged 106 others with total losses amounting to $3.2 million. A total 26 people were hospitalized but the full extent of injuries is unspecified.

The tornado struck Decatur without warning around 2:45 p.m. CST. A severe thunderstorm warning was issued at 2:43 p.m., tornado sirens were sounded at 2:48 p.m., and a tornado warning wasn't issued until 2:56 p.m. by which time the tornado had cleared Decatur and dissipated near US 51. Local police established two command posts and dispatched officers, including off duty and auxiliary, to Decatur for patrol duties. Fifteen firefighters were deployed to check for fires and assist with downed wires while the street division assisted with debris removal. Representative Edward Rell Madigan (R-IL) pledged all possible assistance to victims. Electrical service was restored to the city by 8:00 a.m. on April 4, with the exception of 35 homes. Cablevision service remained offline due to damaged wires. The American Red Cross set up a relief headquarters at Boling Springs Church of God with two coordinators assisting victims with federal assistance paperwork. A canteen operated by the Salvation Army provided food and Catholic Charities distributed clothing. The Council of Community Services was likely to head long-term relief efforts. All roads in the city were cleared by April 5. The tornado prompted the additional of additional procedures to an in-the-works emergency preparedness program which would now include the Inspection and Public Works Department. Faster emergency medical response was identified as a pressing issue and plans to have a mobile headquarters were made. The Macon County Fairgrounds president sought state aid to repair the facility.

On April 5, 300–400 volunteers, including farmers from DeWitt and Moultrie Counties, gathered at the Fairgrounds to help with clean up across the city. Heavy machinery was used by city crews in the hardest-hit areas while the volunteers focused on less damaged areas. Volunteer work concluded on April 7 with more than 2,000 people assisting during the four-day period. Several people suffered cuts from sheet metal while clearing debris. The tornado was described as the worst to ever hit Decatur.

Parker tornado family
These three tornadoes in east-central Indiana were part of the seventh tornado family described by Abbey and Fujita 1981. Agee et al. 1976 described it as a Type II-A family, indicating cyclical tornadoes that turn left as a new tornado forms. Twin circulations rotating around within the supercell as the tornadoes formed and dissipated. Observations of the storm indicated a broad wall cloud with a smaller "pedestal cloud" extending down throughout its existence. A clear condensation funnel was not always observed, but the pedestal cloud would periodically descend and merge with debris clouds rising from the ground. Agee et al. 1976 estimated the condensation funnel to have reached 300 m at the ground with damaging winds extending 1000 yd. The parent supercell was initially observed over central Indiana, with a funnel cloud sighted around 2:15 p.m. CDT to the northeast of Bloomington in Monroe County. A larger funnel cloud was observed over Johnson County from 2:20 to 2:30 p.m CDT. At 2:50 p.m. CDT, the first tornado of the family touched down near Fairland in Shelby County. The tornado struck Fountaintown, destroying 11 homes. Twenty-five people were injured, five of whom required hospitalization. It continued along a northeast to north-northeast path into Hancock County and struck Stringtown around 3:07 p.m. CDT. A church had its roof torn off, five homes were damaged, and a bus was lofted into a tree. The tornado subsequently dissipated at 3:10 p.m. CDT after traveling 17 mi. It was rated F3 at its peak. The Storm Data publication states this tornado was larger than the subsequent F4 tornado, with a width of 1 mi; Grazulis lists a mean width of 400 yd.

As the tornado hooked left and dissipated, a new tornado formed farther east at 3:02 p.m. CDT to the southwest of Charlottesville in Hancock County. It initially moved on a northeast trajectory and the O'Neal Trailer Court about 2 mi south of Charlottesville along the Hancock-Rush County line. All eleven mobile homes were obliterated, with debris scattered up to 1 mi away; only bent frames of two and part of a third were found while the remainder were completely swept away. At least seven people were injured here, many found in ditches across the street. East of Charlottesville along US 40, a two-story brick home was leveled with only the entry steps left behind. Heading toward Knightstown, it abruptly turned more to the north and bypassed the town to the west resulting in damage to only a few homes. As it continued across southwestern Henry County, it struck a truck stop near I-70 and IN 109 before traversing rural farmland. Two vehicles, one being a semi-trailer, were thrown from I-70. Farmsteads were entirely leveled and trees were uprooted. Damage across Rush County was estimated at $5 million. It then moved directly through Grant City in Henry County, destroying 11 of the town's 25 homes and damaging the rest. Four people were injured in the community. After crossing more farmland, newspaper reports indicate the tornado lifted as it approached Kennard, only to touch back down on the west side of town. Kennard suffered extensive damage with 70 percent of the town damaged or destroyed; much of the northern portion of town was severely damaged. Homes in the town were leveled, with 48 destroyed overall, and the upper half of a two-story brick elementary school was swept away. A pregnant woman was injured and subsequently had a premature birth; the infant did not survive. Seventeen people were injured. Northeast of Kennard, more farms were damaged. Between Mount Summit and Mooreland, the ceiling of a high school collapsed. The tornado dissipated at 3:20 p.m. CDT after traveling 20 mi. It was rated F4 at its peak.

The final tornado originated near US 35 around 3:35 p.m. CDT and traveled north-northeast. Between Parker City and Farmland along SR 32, the tornado reached a width of 1 mi and featured four vortices circulating around each other. Based on video evidence, Grazulis approximated the tornado may have had winds of 210 mph aloft within one of the vortices. This was based on the forward speed of the tornado, the velocities of the smaller vortices rotating around the mean center of the tornado, their velocity rotating around each other. In this area the Monroe Central Junior-Senior High School (a large, steel-reinforced building) was mostly destroyed. The Muncie Star stated "a greater tragedy was avoided" as hundreds of students were dismissed to go home just 20 minutes before the tornado struck. Only the principal and several teachers remained, taking refuge in the boiler room. All east-facing walls and large portions of the roof of the school collapsed. Nine cars were thrown into the building from the parking lot. Damage to the school alone was estimated at $3–7 million. On the other side of SR 32, 5 homes were destroyed and 14 others were damaged. One person was killed here. Throughout the path, wide swaths of trees were stripped of their branches and debarked. The tornado dissipated at 3:58 p.m. CDT after traveling 22 mi; it was rated F4 at its peak.

Collectively, the tornadoes killed 2 people, injured 54, and inflicted well over $10 million in damage. The Carthage Volunteer Fire Department set up clothing donations for victims in Charlottesville and the Red Cross provided food. In the immediate aftermath, emergency responders in Kennard were unable to coordinate due to the lack of a command center. Looting was reported before county police arrived. An estimated 300 sightseers clogged roadways into the community. Fifty-eight members of the Nation Guard arrived in Kennard for search and rescue and clean up. The Red Cross assisted residents with applying for relief aid, with 20 volunteers arriving within a day of the tornado. Displaced persons were sheltered at a community center and elementary school in Greensboro.

Xenia, Ohio
This violent tornado originated southwest of Xenia and initially formed as two small funnels, one only 10 m in diameter, rotating rapidly around each other at an estimated 210 mph. These multiple vortices persisted throughout the tornado's duration. As the overall circulation grew to at least 1 mi in diameter, it moved directly through Xenia. Photographic evidence showed that the condensation funnel never reached the ground during this time. However, violent sub-vortices on the right side of the tornado caused swaths of F5 damage to many homes. These vortices were estimated to be only 20 m wide. Large debris was estimated to be hurled through the air at 161 mph at a height of 120 m. Total devastation occurred in much of Xenia. About half of the city of 25,000 people was damaged or destroyed; 300 homes were destroyed and 2,100 were damaged, some of which were newly constructed. Total damage reached $100 million (normalized to $491 million in 2001). Northeast of Xenia, Wilberforce University (formerly part of Central State University) suffered $7.5 million in damage. In his operational assessment, Fujita assigned a F6 rating to this tornado indicating "inconceivable damage"; this was later reconciled to F5 when the scale was formalized. Grazulis described it as the most publicized tornado of the outbreak and "most well-studied tornado in history, from a wind-engineering perspective."

Hardest-hit was the recently built Arrowhead subdivision which was nearly leveled. Freight cars from a Penn Central train were lofted onto a supermarket and a parking lot. A tractor-trailer was hurled 100 yd onto the roof of a bowling alley. Six of the city's twelve schools were damaged or destroyed.

Bank checks from Xenia were found up to 200 mi away in Chagrin Falls.

About 1,500 National Guard troops were deployed to Xenia. Natural gas service was shut off due to the risk of explosions. At the time of the tornado, the city did not have a formal disaster plan in place. Only a partial one was in the works.

Hanover–Madison, Indiana
As the F5 Depauw tornado weakened, the same supercell spawned a second tornado to the east at 3:19 p.m. just northeast of Henryville in Clark County. It moved generally east-northeast and entered Scott County, killing one person there. As the tornado approached Chelsea, it grew to an estimated 0.75 to 1 mi wide and swept away many homes. Doctors at the Madison State Hospital observed two funnels merge together as the tornado struck Hanover. Hanover College was largely destroyed; a few students were injured and damage to the college alone reached $10 million. At a housing development in Havover, 71 of the community's 75 homes were leveled with a state trooper likening the destruction to an "[atomic] bomb testing ground".

The tornado reached its peak strength as it struck Madison where large, expensive homes were completely destroyed. Roughly 300 homes were destroyed in northern Madison and seven people were killed. The six-story Indiana-Kentucky Electric Company Clifty Creek Power Plant was almost completely leveled north of Madison, with only three smokestacks left standing amid a two-story pile of debris. A large swath of trees were "snapped and crushed" nearby the plant. The Madison State Hospital suffered $600,000 in damage, with one patient and several maintenance buildings were destroyed. Three people were killed near China.

A total of 11 people were killed, 190 others were injured, and damage reached $35 million. Doctors from the damaged Madison State Hospital were sent to Hanover to assist victims; 30 people were rescued from basements. The hospital provided shelter for 29 residents.

Brandenburg, Kentucky
The tornado struck northwestern areas of Hardinsburg at F3 intensity, destroying several homes. Moving northeast across Breckenridge County, the tornado destroyed 35 homes and injured 13 people. The tornado grew and strengthened as it moved into the town of Brandenburg (pop. 1,700). A tornado warning was issued for Brandenburg about 15 minutes before it struck; however, residents did not pay attention to it. No photographs of the tornado are known to exist, though it is believed to have been a large wedge-shaped tornado. Tremendous damage occurred in the town with 128 homes totally destroyed, many of which were completely swept away. The town's business district was entirely destroyed. Several children were killed in a ditch when the school bus they were in rolled on top of them. Two people were sitting on their couch when the tornado tore their home apart; the couch was the only piece of furniture not blown away. In Meade County, 31 people were killed and 257 were injured; twenty-eight deaths were in Brandenburg alone. F4 damage occured in areas north of Irvington and across the Ohio River into Harrison County, Indiana. Approximately 270 people were injured. Initial assessments placed damage at $25 million; however a 2001 paper stated damage to be $15 million.

The United States Army deployed two refrigerator trucks two transport dead bodies.


 * The Park City Daily News

Sayler Park, Ohio
As the Bear Branch, Indiana, tornado dissipated, the same supercell produced another tornado at 5:28 p.m. EDT about 2 mi north of Rising Sun, Ohio County, Indiana. This new tornado tracked northeast, crossing the Ohio River and entering Kentucky just north of Belleview in Boone County. Damage in the area was limited to snapped tree tops as the tornado intermittently touched down before remaining continuous near KY 18. It heavily damaged a barn and outbuilding as it moved up a hill and subsequently along its ridge. About ten barns were damaged in the area. Moving parallel to KY 18, the tornado damaged several structures and flattened trees. West-southwest of Burlington, barns were completely destroyed. Two funnels were observed in this area, with the smaller one quickly merging back into the main funnel. The tornado then lifted and relocated to the north, touching back down southwest of Bullittsville. A "solid path of destruction" spanned 200 yd as the tornado moved north-northeast. A 1500 lb truck was hurled; its trailer was crumpled In Bullitsville, several homes and a grocery store were leveled. Two brick homes were largely destroyed north of I-275, with only partial walls remaining. One home was swept off its slab foundation. Twin damage paths were documented 0.5 to 0.75 mi apart, with the smaller one to the southeast. The total swath of damage was roughly 1.5 mi across. Approaching KY 8, the paths of the two tornadoes diverged. The smaller tornado snapped trees and damaged homes as it moved east before crossing the Ohio River. The larger tornado destroyed a marina&mdash;186 boats were destroyed &mdash;shifted a home off its foundation, and lofted another home into the Ohio River before crossing the river itself. Damage to the marina alone reached $6 million. A boat restaurant was lofted into the river where it subsequently sank. Throughout Boone County, it damaged or destroyed 75 homes and 100 barns and injured 20 people. Eighty people were left homeless and property damage reached $4 million.

Both tornadoes struck the Sayler Park neighborhood of Cincinnati around 5:45 p.m., with the smaller damaging trees along US 50 about 0.25 mi east of the main tornado before dissipating. The larger tornado moved north, paralleling the river through Sayler Park. It grew to a maximum width of 880 to 1320 yd with the greatest damage occurring within a swath 300 yd wide. Damage in Saylor Park and in areas southwest of Mack was "indescribable". Homes were completely swept from their foundations, leaving behind concrete slabs. Lesser, albeit significant, damage continued as the tornado moved northeast. Two people were killed when they were thrown into a tree. The tornado dissipated around 5:51 p.m. to the north of Dent. Of the 508 homes in Sayler Park, 375 were damaged or destroyed. About 190 people were injured.

Twelve National Guardsmen, ten members of the Kentucky Department of Forestry, and six Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms personnel were dispatched to Boone County. Cadaver dogs were sent to Bullittsville and Taylorsville. The Cincinnati fire chief sounded a five-alarm fire in Sayler Park immediately after the tornado, prompting the dispatch of 75 firefighters from 20 companies for immediate relief. A two-night curfew was put in place for Hamilton County. The Cincinnati Bar Association assisted residents with repair plans and avoiding scams. The Red Cross opened two shelters and the Salvation Army provided meals. Cincinnati provided lumber and paper. Few residents utilized public shelters, with 50 homes deemed uninhabitable being lived in by April 7.

Louisville, Kentucky
Approximately 900 homes were destroyed in Louisville.

Tornado sirens were activated in Louisville 19 minutes before the tornado struck. This is credited as the primary reason the death toll in the city was limited to two people.

Monticello–Rochester, Indiana
This was the longest-tracked and lived tornado of the outbreak, traveling approximately 121 mi over the span of two hours. However, this path may have been comprised of three separate tornadoes. The tornado initially touched down 2 mi west of Otterbein and quickly became violent. Two people were killed north of the town when their home was leveled. It soon weakened and caused minor damage in Tippecanoe and southwestern White counties. It re-intensified as moved directly into Monticello. Ample warning allowed residents to seek shelter, limiting the fatalities to only two. The tornado reached its maximum intensity to the northeast of town where farms were leveled. It weakened again as it moved across Pulaski County. It once again regained strength in Fulton County, killing one person on SR 14 before striking Rochester. Two people were killed in a mobile home. Damage in the city reached $10 million. It briefly crossed through the southeastern corner of Marshall County and then entered Kosciusko County. A Mexican national was killed in Atwood. F3 damage occurred in the southern portion of Leesburg. One person was killed near SR 6 in Elkhart County. North of Ligonier, Noble County, a school was destroyed. The last fatality occurred near Topeka in LaGrange County. The tornado dissipated at 6:47 p.m. near Oliver Lake airport.

A bus carrying six people was thrown off a bridge into the Tippecanoe River. Five of the occupants died while the sixth swam to shore.

The five-block downtown area of Monticello was largely wiped out. The Bryan Manufacturing plant was destroyed, leaving one employee dead and nearly all 140 people working at the time injured. A 250 ft microwave transmission tower collapsed.

Initial estimates placed damage at $100 million. However, in a 2001 paper damage was stated to be $50 million (normalized to $163 million in 2001).

Mount Hope–Harvest, Alabama
This tornado touched down around 6:20 p.m. CDT in Lawrence County and entered Limestone County at 7:05 p.m. CDT. Along US 31, the Lawson's Trailer Court with 215 mobile homes was severely impacted by both tornadoes.

Six people from one family were killed when their trailer was obliterated near Mt. Moriah community northwest of Moulton. Their bodies were found scattered 1 mi away. Four people from another family were killed when their home was destroyed. A total of 28 people were killed and 267–280 others were injured.

This tornado was soon followed by another violent tornado 30 minutes later which tore through areas from 2 mi to only a block to the north of the first. The two tornadoes left the entirety of Lawrence County without power.

Jasper–Cullman, Alabama
Sixty troops of the 131st Signal battalion's B. Company were deployed to Jasper and the Red Cross established a shelter at a local elementary school.

About 90 people were injured in rural areas of Walker County.

The administration building of the Bevill State Community College campus in Jasper (Walker College) had a part of its roof torn off and the campus lost 75 percent of its trees.

The tornado struck Jasper around 7:58 p.m. CDT, based on clocks stopping.

Tanner–Harvest, Alabama – Flintville, Tennessee
The tornado entered Limestone County at 7:35 p.m. CDT, almost exactly where the F5 Mount Hope–Harvest tornado struck 30 minutes earlier.

The maximum rating of this tornado is disputed. Fujita and Grazulis list this as a F4 tornado while 2013 publication by NOAA lists it as a F5. This tornado touched down only 0.5 mi north of where the 23:50 UTC Mount Hope–Harvest F5 tornado tracked just 30 minutes prior.

Windsor, Ontario
The Storm Data publication indicates this was the same tornado that struck Berlin Township, Michigan, 48 minutes earlier. Fujita analyzes this tornado originating as a funnel cloud that moved northeast from Flat Rock, across the Detroit River and Grosse Ile, before entering Ontario, Canada. It touched down in Windsor around 8:09 p.m. EDT (±7 minutes, UTC−04:00) and moved along a skipping path. The tornado struck the Windsor Curling Club, a steel frame and concrete structure, around 8:13 p.m. during a match with 48 players and an estimated 30 spectators in the building. A portion of the building's roof and one of its walls collapsed, crushing multiple people. Nine people were killed&mdash;seven died instantly from traumatic brain injuries, one died two hours later, and the ninth died on January 15, 1975 &mdash;eleven required hospitalization, and another 14 were reportedly injured. This marked it as Canada's sixth-deadliest tornado. One of the injured persons died three years later, with his wife asserting it was related to the tornado. Another club across the street was undamaged. A 30 ton crane was shifted 6 ft at the Devonshire Mall. Two businesses suffered extensive damage and at least one home had its roof torn off. Damage from the tornado amounted to C$1 million. Turning north, it crossed the Detroit river again and briefly impacted the Grosse Point suburb in Metro Detroit before dissipating around 8:16 p.m. EDT.

In the storm's wake, all police officers in Windsor were called in. Eighteen ambulances were dispatched to the curling club, including two from 55 mi away. Torrential rains continued after the tornado, including 0.5 in in a 15-minute span around 9:00 p.m. EDT, and ultimately totaled 7.5 in. On May 28, The Canadian Press reported that the Atmospheric Enviornment Service (AES, later called Meteorological Service of Canada) of Environment Canada failed to issue timely warnings for Windsor despite information being readily provided by the NWS office in Detroit, Michigan. The NWS office issued a tornado warning at 7:40 p.m. EDT for Metro Detroit and relayed the information to Toronto. This warning was not disseminated to Windsor until 8:10 p.m. EDT, by which time the tornado was on the ground. R.C. Graham, director of the AES, stated that there is no direct line of communication between the two offices. Plans were put in place for the NWS and AES to meet and work on facilitating better communication. This spurred the establishment of a telephone line to fax radar images.

On April 5, the city's coroner confirmed an inquest on the disaster would be conducted. At the time of the tornado, national building codes in Canada required buildings be constructed to withstand 80 to 90 mph winds but not specifically from tornadoes. The trial proceeded in July, with an engineer from the Ministry of Labor's Industrial Safety Branch testifying. Based on his calculations, the building was structurally deficient and only one-thirteenth as sturdy as building codes dictated. The jury recommended that buildings with long concrete walls have steel beams reinforced into them to strengthen the spans. They further advised that buildings with large gathering be inspected regularly. The building required a C$250,000 reconstruction plan and reopened several months later.

The damage rating of this tornado is uncertain, with sources ranging from F1 to F3. In 2021, the University of Western Ontario's Northern Tornadoes Project assigned a F1 rating based on the limited scope of damage and the most severely impacted building being of inadequate construction. Fujita and Grazulis list this as a F2 tornado, and a publication through the Windsor Public Library and the CBC report it as F3. Its maximum width ranged from 200 – and the path length ranged from 6 mi to 22 km, with the latter being the most contemporary. Additionally, the meteorologist in charge of the Windsor office asserted that no tornado took place at all and the disaster was instead the result of thunderstorm winds.

Guin, Alabama
This violent tornado was first observed as a funnel cloud near Starkville, Mississippi, in Oktibbeha County at 7:55 p.m. CDT. The exact point at which it touched down is uncertain, with Fujita's initial analysis indicating it reaching the ground by the Mississippi-Alabama state line at 8:25 p.m. CDT well to the north-northeast of Columbus. Contemporary analyses from the National Weather Service indicate the tornado did not touch down until 8:50 p.m. CDT about 6 mi north of Vernon. From Vernon, it moved on a continuous 79.5 mi path to the northeast at 55 to 75 mph, causing catastrophic damage in Guin at 9:02–9:04 p.m. CDT and later Delmar. It lifted around 10:57 p.m. CDT as it approached the Tennessee River in Morgan County, Alabama. A second tornado formed soon after to the east, severely impacting parts of Huntsville. Fujita's analysis indicates it continued aloft thereafter and briefly touched back down in Huntsville before lifting again. It persisted for a short while and dissipated entirely over the Flint River. The total path length ranges from 79.5 mi to 135 mi, with Fujita analyzing it to be on the ground for 102 mi.

Almost the entirety of Guin (pop. ~2,000) was leveled, with approximately 400 homes destroyed several of which were completely swept away. Only 34 of the town's homes were "salvageable". Damage spanned about 0.5 mi across. A total of 23 people died and 250 people were injured in Guin. The majority of the fatalities occurred in a densely populated area in southeastern Guin. Due to the volume of injuries, some victims were transported to hospitals in Tupelo, Mississippi. Damage to businesses alone in Guin reached $3 million.

Oak trees were completely stripped of the bark and branches, leaving behind only denuded trunks.

Five people were killed in Delmar.

An apartment complex in Decatur had a dozen units torn open and many windows shattered.

Fujita and Grazulis list 30 fatalities and 280 injuries, while the NWS Office in Huntsville, Alabama, lists 28 fatalities and 272 injuries.

The Red Cross opened a shelter at the Guin National Guard Armory and a local high school.

Huntsville, Alabama
An unusual amount of lightning accompanied this tornado as it moved into Huntsville. Scientists at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center reported near-continuous flashes, with individual flashes or bolts being brighter and longer-lasting than typically expected. Orange or red lightning occurred above the thunderstorm anvils, what would eventually be known as sprite lighning. There was one potential instance of ball lightning. This tornado formed near Decatur shortly after the F5 Guin, Alabama, tornado dissipated in the same area. It was originally considered to be an extension of that tornado's path.

Thirty buildings at the Redstone Arsenal were damaged or destroyed. Approximately 90 percent of Huntsville lost power and many lost water.

Fujita and Grazulis list no fatalities and 50 injuries, while the NWS Office in Huntsville, Alabama, lists 2 fatalities and 7 injuries.