Storm of '74

The Super Outbreak of 1974 refers to a particularly violent pattern of storm activity that occured April 3-4, 1974 and affected portions of the Midwestern and Southern United States as well as the province of Ontario, Canada. It was the most violent tornado outbreak ever recorded, with 148 confirmed tornados in an 18-hour period, and three category F5 tornados in Indiana alone.

Manifestation

Imagine all of the wind, the rain, and the fear of a 24-hour hurricane packed into just 20 minutes of abject terror. Now stretch that into most of a day. It's a good thing we're well equipped to get by without electricity.

The haunted wailing of the vicious winds was incredible; like the spirit of a dying star being ripped from its orbit by a black hole's consuming maw. Those storms are blamed for ushering in a new age of trouble.

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Tornado over a road by Greg Johnson

Definition

A tornado is a violently rotating column of air connecting the Earth to cumulonimbus clouds, often seen as a funnel. It forms from severe thunderstorms in unstable atmospheric conditions, where warm, moist air meets cooler, dry air, creating the 'perfect storm' for these powerful twisters.

Localization

At one point, as many as 15 separate tornados were on the ground, simultaneously. All told, more than $600 Million (1974 USD, 3.5 Billion adjusted) in damage was done over a total of 900 mi², along a 2,600 mile path of devistation. Five thousand, four hundred eighty four (5,484) people lost their lives across more than a quarter of the United States (13 individual states) and Canada.

Villagers refer to the Storm of '74 the same way people everywhere else refer to 9/11 or Columbine; as a world-changing disaster. Because to the villagers, Avalon is the world.

Type

Natural

Affected States/Provinces

Illinois

Indiana

Michigan

Ohio

Kentucky

Tennessee

Alabama

Mississippi

Georgia

North Carolina

Virginia

West Virginia

New York

Ontario, Canada

Aftermath

Tornado Damage by Greg Johnson