# Tornado outbreak of April 1–2, 1974

The tornado outbreak of April 1–2, 1974, affected much of the eastern and central United States. Four fatalities and more than seventy injuries were confirmed in this outbreak. Damaging, deadly tornadoes struck Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama—including the Nashville and Huntsville metropolitan areas. In the latter areas, tornadoes produced F3 damage on the Fujita scale and impacted areas that would later sustain damage on April 3. Large hail and severe thunderstorm winds also impacted a broad area.

## Background

The outbreak began when a powerful area of low pressure formed across the Great Plains on April 1 and moved into Mississippi and Ohio Valleys. As it did, a surge of very moist warm air intensified the storm. As a result, a series of tornado outbreaks occurred. The outbreak produced 23 confirmed tornadoes, three of which caused at least one fatality. The outbreak ended approximately 30 hours before the Super Outbreak of 1974 began. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a total of 11 severe weather watches on April 1 alone. These watches, along with the damage and deaths that followed, prompted alertness among the general public that may have reduced casualties and losses during the larger outbreak of April 3 to April 4. According to the NWS, the severe weather on April 1 spurred appropriate protective measures a few days later, and consequently "many lives were saved."

## Confirmed tornadoes

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating :
| FU | F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 | Total |
| 0 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
Daily statistics of tornadoes produced by the tornado outbreak of April 1–2, 1974 :
| Date | Total | Fujita scale rating | Fujita scale rating | Fujita scale rating | Fujita scale rating | Fujita scale rating | Fujita scale rating | Deaths | Injuries | Damage | Ref. |
| Date | Total | F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 | Deaths | Injuries | Damage | Ref. |
| April 1 | 19 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 62 | >$3,650,000 | |
| April 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | — | |
| Total | 23 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 72 | >$3,650,000 | |
List of known tornadoes during the tornado outbreak of April 1–2, 1974 :
| F# | Location | County / Parish | State | Start coord. | Date | Time (UTC) | Path length | Max width | Summary |
| F2 | NNE of Merigold | Bolivar | MS | 33°51′N 90°43′W﻿ / ﻿33.85°N 90.72°W﻿ / 33.85; -90.72﻿ (Merigold (Apr. 1, F2)) | April 1 | 2110 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) | — | The first tornado of the outbreak briefly touched down, causing moderate damage to structures in or near Merigold. The tornado wrecked a trailer and damaged twenty-five residences. A boxcar fell off its track, and a hangar sustained damage. |
| F1 | SSE of Grubbs | Jackson | AR | 35°38′N 91°04′W﻿ / ﻿35.63°N 91.07°W﻿ / 35.63; -91.07﻿ (Grubbs (Apr. 1, F1)) | April 1 | 2136 | 0.3 miles (0.48 km) | — | A short-lived tornado struck a manufacturing plant, causing substantial damage to roofs and mobile structures. |
| F3 | ENE of Bridgeport to N of Lawrenceville | Lawrence | IL | 38°43′N 87°44′W﻿ / ﻿38.72°N 87.73°W﻿ / 38.72; -87.73﻿ (Bridgeport (Apr. 1, F3)) | April 1 | 2217 | 3.3 miles (5.3 km) | — | This was the first of three intense tornadoes to form during the outbreak. A storage for school buses sustained damage, as did trees, residences, and power lines. The tornado also damaged a few mobile homes. A reanalysis by Thomas P. Grazulis did not list this tornado as significant (F2 or stronger on the Fujita scale). |
| F2 | Lafayette | Tippecanoe | IN | 40°25′N 86°52′W﻿ / ﻿40.42°N 86.87°W﻿ / 40.42; -86.87﻿ (Lafayette (Apr. 1, F2)) | April 1 | 2232 | 1.5 miles (2.4 km) | — | A strong tornado touched down in downtown Lafayette, severely damaging a lumber yard. A mobile home and several garages were leveled. Additionally, one home had its roof torn off, and several windows were smashed. |
| F2 | ENE of Zion to ENE of Samantha | Tuscaloosa | AL | 33°26′N 87°50′W﻿ / ﻿33.43°N 87.83°W﻿ / 33.43; -87.83﻿ (Zion (Apr. 1, F2)) | April 1 | 2305 | 16.3 miles (26.2 km) | — | A tornado affected Moores Bridge and surrounding environs, damaging an expansive area. Six people sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Grazulis did not list this tornado as an F2 or stronger. |
| F1 | NNW of Bronson to Coldwater | Branch | MI | 41°54′N 85°12′W﻿ / ﻿41.90°N 85.20°W﻿ / 41.90; -85.20﻿ (Coldwater (Apr. 1, F1)) | April 1 | 2350 | 10.6 miles (17.1 km) | — | A tornado produced sporadic damage at several scattered points. Two homes and several farm buildings sustained damage. Winds wrecked the uppermost floor of a two-story structure in Coldwater. |
| F2 | WNW of Raysville | Henry | IN | 39°48′N 85°31′W﻿ / ﻿39.80°N 85.52°W﻿ / 39.80; -85.52﻿ (Raysville (Apr. 1, F2)) | April 1 | 2355 | 1 mile (1.6 km) | — | A short-lived tornado toppled a tree onto and destroyed a vehicle. A nearby farm also sustained damage. Grazulis did not list this tornado as an F2 or stronger. |
| F2 | NW of Jefferson | Carroll | MS | 33°40′N 89°55′W﻿ / ﻿33.67°N 89.92°W﻿ / 33.67; -89.92﻿ (Jefferson (Apr. 1, F2)) | April 1 | 0000 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) | — | A brief tornado struck the "Ebenezer" community, damaging several homes, one of which was destroyed. |
| F0 | SSW of Richmond | Madison | LA | 32°20′N 91°12′W﻿ / ﻿32.33°N 91.20°W﻿ / 32.33; -91.20﻿ (Richmond (Apr. 1, F0)) | April 1 | 0020 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) | — | A very weak, brief touchdown produced little damage. |
| F3 | Campbellsburg area | Henry | KY | 38°30′N 85°14′W﻿ / ﻿38.50°N 85.23°W﻿ / 38.50; -85.23﻿ (Campbellsburg (Apr. 1, F3)) | April 1 | 0020 | 3.3 miles (5.3 km) | — | 1 death – A powerful, large thunderstorm generated an intense tornado in Henry County. The tornado severely damaged Campbellsburg, leaving one-fifth of the population homeless. More than forty homes and businesses were badly damaged or destroyed. The tornado killed one person in a mobile home. Grazulis considered the damage to be F2 rather than F3 in intensity. Twenty injuries occurred along the relatively short path. |
| F1 | SE of Sandy Hook | Elliott | KY | 38°05′N 83°07′W﻿ / ﻿38.08°N 83.12°W﻿ / 38.08; -83.12﻿ (Sandy Hook (Apr. 1, F1)) | April 1 | 0030 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | — | A tornado struck the Sandy Hook area, causing extensive damage. It damaged or destroyed many barns, garages, other structures, and a gas station. The tornado leveled six trailers and affected forty barns. Three people sustained injuries. Grazulis assigned an F2 rating to the tornado, based on the severity of the damage it produced. |
| F1 | Dickson area | Dickson | TN | 36°05′N 87°24′W﻿ / ﻿36.08°N 87.40°W﻿ / 36.08; -87.40﻿ (Dickson (Apr. 1, F1)) | April 1 | 0045 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | — | A short-tracked tornado struck warehouse structures and a supermarket, causing extensive but minor damage. |
| F0 | Greenville area | Darke | OH | 40°06′N 84°38′W﻿ / ﻿40.10°N 84.63°W﻿ / 40.10; -84.63﻿ (Greenville (Apr. 1, F0)) | April 1 | 0050 | 0.2 miles (0.32 km) | — | A brief touchdown caused minimal damage to a property. A television antenna, a garage, and a fence sustained damage. |
| F2 | NNE of Belle Meade to ENE of Downtown Nashville | Davidson | TN | 36°07′N 86°51′W﻿ / ﻿36.12°N 86.85°W﻿ / 36.12; -86.85﻿ (Nashville (Apr. 1, F2)) | April 1 | 0110 | 10.9 miles (17.5 km) | — | 1 death – A strong tornado tracked through Nashville, doing over $3.6 million in damage. Most of the losses occurred at a pair of shopping centers, where losses reached $1 million, and at an apartment complex. The complex, which contained seventy units, received $100,000 in damage. The tornado also passed over Nashville International Airport, where it wrecked twelve airplanes. Authorities reported $2.5 million in damage to the airport. In all, the tornado damaged seventy-two residences and tore off roofs. The tornado injured twelve people. Operationally, the NWS reported two fatalities, not one, and both may have been lighting- rather than tornado-related. |
| F2 | WNW of Durant | Holmes | MS | 33°06′N 89°54′W﻿ / ﻿33.10°N 89.90°W﻿ / 33.10; -89.90﻿ (Durant (Apr. 1, F2)) | April 1 | 0140 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) | — | A tornado briefly touched down, moderately damaging thirteen to fifteen buildings. Three of the structures were mobile homes. Grazulis did not assess this tornado to be F2 or stronger. |
| F1 | W of Mount Juliet to NW of Lebanon | Wilson | TN | 36°12′N 86°32′W﻿ / ﻿36.20°N 86.53°W﻿ / 36.20; -86.53﻿ (Mount Juliet (Apr. 1, F1)) | April 1 | 0145 | 13.1 miles (21.1 km) | — | A tornado caused widespread damage to homes and to a local high school. The roof at the school received substantial damage. The tornado also struck trees and power lines in its path. Total losses from Mount Juliet and Lebanon reached $1.05 million. Preliminary reports indicated six injuries, but this total was later reduced to four in the finalized data. |
| F2 | SSE of Calhoun City | Calhoun | MS | 33°48′N 89°18′W﻿ / ﻿33.80°N 89.30°W﻿ / 33.80; -89.30﻿ (Calhoun City (Apr. 1, F2)) | April 1 | 0145 | 5.1 miles (8.2 km) | — | A strong tornado produced patchy damage to outbuildings and barns. Additionally, the tornado damaged two homes, one of which was a mobile home. Several cotton wagons were wrecked as well. Grazulis did not consider the tornado to be F2 or stronger. |
| F2 | SW of Hayden to Oneonta | Blount | AL | 33°53′N 86°46′W﻿ / ﻿33.88°N 86.77°W﻿ / 33.88; -86.77 | April 1 | 0330 | 16.9 miles (27.2 km) | — | A tornado produced intermittent damage as it skipped across part of Blount County. Most of the damage was reported from the Hayden area, but additional damage occurred at a mobile home park near Oneonta. The tornado leveled sixteen residences, thirteen of which were trailers. Eleven other structures, all homes and trailers, sustained damage. Eleven people were injured. |
| F3 | E of Madison to NNE of Downtown Huntsville | Madison | AL | 34°42′N 86°43′W﻿ / ﻿34.70°N 86.72°W﻿ / 34.70; -86.72 | April 1 | 0340 | 8.4 miles (13.5 km) | — | 1 death – A powerful nighttime tornado struck the northern edge of Huntsville. The tornado produced its most severe impact to the Sherwood Park subdivision on the northern outskirts of Huntsville. There, winds tore off roofs and caused some walls to collapse. Grazulis assigned an F2 rating to this damage, rather than the official F3 ranking. The fatality occurred in a mobile home; seven other occupants did not sustain injuries. The tornado injured six people. |
| F1 | S of Murphy to NE of Andrews | Cherokee | NC | 35°04′N 84°02′W﻿ / ﻿35.07°N 84.03°W﻿ / 35.07; -84.03 | April 2 | 0601 | 16.8 miles (27.0 km) | — | A tornado generated isolated damage as it skipped along. There were no injuries or fatalities. |
| F2 | WNW of Lanett | Chambers | AL | 32°53′N 85°14′W﻿ / ﻿32.88°N 85.23°W﻿ / 32.88; -85.23 | April 2 | 0700 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) | — | A strong tornado traversed forested areas without affecting structures. |
| F1 | W of McNeill | Pearl River | MS | 30°40′N 89°41′W﻿ / ﻿30.67°N 89.68°W﻿ / 30.67; -89.68 | April 2 | 0732 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) | — | Outbuildings on farms sustained damage, in addition to a few homes. |
| F1 | NW of Tryon to E of Hardins | Gaston | NC | 35°21′N 81°20′W﻿ / ﻿35.35°N 81.33°W﻿ / 35.35; -81.33 | April 2 | 0753 | 9.7 miles (15.6 km) | — | 1 death – A tornado produced scattered damage near Cherryville, damaging several mobile homes. The tornado wrecked fifteen mobile homes in the area. One person died as the tornado destroyed her mobile home. A nearby house also lost its roof. Grazulis assigned an F2 rating to the damage, rather than the official F1 ranking. Ten people sustained injuries, primarily in mobile homes. |

## Non-tornadic effects

Peak wind gusts reached 69 mph (111 km/h) in the strongest thunderstorms, over Daviess County, Kentucky. The largest hailstones peaked at 3 in (7.6 cm) in circumference, as measured in Washington County, Mississippi.