The 1974 Super Tornado Outbreak was one of the worst weather days in U.S. history. The powerful tornadoes spawned that day carved a path of destruction through North Alabama.
Before April 27, 2011, it was the tornado event everyone talked about - the Super Outbreak of April 3 and 4, 1974. There were 148 tornadoes spread over 13 states, with 319 lives lost, including 77 people in Alabama.
Hardest hit in north Alabama was the town of Tanner in Limestone County. The small town had two F5 tornadoes pass within just a mile of each other. The first of these tornadoes formed at 5:15 p.m. near Mt. Hope in Lawrence County. After traveling 52 miles, the tornado lifted near Harvest in Madison County. Twenty-eight people lost their lives.
Just 30 minutes after the first tornado leveled much of the town of Tanner, while rescue efforts were underway, a second tornado passed through destroying many structures that survived the first tornado. This second tornado traveled 98 miles before finally lifting in Coffee County, Tennessee. Sixteen more people were killed.
The final tornado of the night in North Alabama was another deadly one. A thunderstorm produced a third F5 in Alabama that devastated the town of Guin in Marion County and was responsible for an F3 tornado that moved through south Huntsville. Two more lives were lost before the tornado lifted in Jackson County.
Technology has come a long way since then. In 1974, weather radar was crude by today’s standards. We could only see a depiction of the precipitation over a large area. There was no Doppler radar, which allows us to peer inside of storms and see areas of rotation. We lacked the computer power to zoom in and pinpoint the most dangerous part of the storm, let alone track it in real time to give people in the path a heads up to when the storm would be in their backyard.
Having the power and precision of Â鶹app Triple Doppler back then could have undoubtedly allowed us to pass along life saving information. When lives are on the line, every moment counts, that’s why we have our 31 Triple Doppler Network.
We use the power of three doppler radars strategically placed across North Alabama to allow our team to keep a watchful eye when it comes to keeping you and your family safe - that’s coverage you can count on.
On the anniversary of the 1974 Super Outbreak we remember the lives lost in Alabama.Ěý
MADISON COUNTY
Edgie Bevill
Howard Bevill
Matt BevillĚý
Deborah Sue Braswell
Anna Lavada Durham
Goldie Fletcher
Benjamin Gibbs
Benjamin Gibbs Child
Linda Lavada Gurley
Herman Edwin Jones
Herman Lambert
Willie McCrary
Nannie Moore
Ruth Moore
Lonnie Pamplin
Minnie Bell Smith
Ruby Williams
LIMESTONE COUNTYĚý
Louise Cain
Thomas Lee Cain
Willie Alvis (Helen) Carter
Teresa Carter
Tony Carter
Willie Alvis Carter
Novie Ruffin Ellison
Annaise Green
Lillian Green
Larry (Patsy) Lovell
Hattie Ruth McGlocklin
Sandra Ruth McGlockin
Walter James McGlockin
Rosie MacLineĚý
Mary Elizabeth Smart
CULLMAN COUNTY
Carl C. Presley
LAWRENCE COUNTY
Billy Blankenship
Billy (Lovinia) Blankenship
Marilyn Jeanette Brackins
Winford Glover
James Kirby
Audrey Sue Latham
Bernard Letson
Bernard (Corine) Letson
Ricky Letson
Sharon Letson
Phillip (Althea) Owens
Linda Owens
Phillip Owens
Phyllis Owens
Terri Owens
Thomas (Buddy) Owens
Ella Mae Poke
LINCOLN COUNTY, TN
Baxter Holt
Wayne (Peggy) Gautney
Henry (Mildred) Gautney
Garner Gautney
James Hazelwood
Arnold Bates
FRANKLIN, TN
Barbara Lane Smith
Darrien Smith
Katherine Throle
Owen Limbaugh
Owen (Kathy) Limbaugh
This video that was produced by NOAA in 1977, documenting via actual footage and re-creations from actual interviews with area residents, what was occurring in the north Alabama and into the Tennessee valley region from the late afternoon through the evening hours on April 3, 1974 during the Super Tornado outbreak.
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National Weather Service
Weather Forecast Office
Huntsville, AL
1974 April Tornado Super Outbreak
