TORNADOES TORNADOES
On April 3, 1974 there was a deadly tornado outbreak, which injured 2,000, and damaged about 7,000 homes. Most of the tornado activity occurred between 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. CDT (central daylight time). Without a doubt the hardest hit area was Xenia (Greene County) Ohio, where one of the most intense tornadoes of the outbreak (37) roared in shortly after 3:30 p.m. CDT (4:30 p.m. EDT). The tornado was an F-5, killing 30 people, injuring more than 1100, and destroying more than 1,000 homes. The damage path varied in width from one-quarter to one-half mile. This storm lifted (dissipated) near Plattsburg, but subsequent tornado touchdowns (38 and 39) occurred in its projected path through sections of Clark, Madison, and Franklin Counties. In order to better understand the intensity of this tornado, the Fujita Scale (which classifies a tornado by how much it destroys) is placed below.
F0:
40-72 mph, chimney damage, tree branches broken
F1: 73-112 mph, mobile homes
pushed off foundation or overturned
F2: 113-157 mph, considerable damage,
mobile homes demolished, trees uprooted
F3: 158-206 mph, roofs and walls
torn down, trains overturned, cars thrown
F4: 207-260 mph, well-constructed
walls leveled
F5: 261-318 mph, homes lifted off foundation and carried
considerable distances, autos thrown as far as 100 meters