About 46 homes and 90 barns were destroyed in Franklin County.įrom SIGNIFICANT TORNADOES 1680-1995 by THOMAS P. The funnel passed over Tims Ford Lake and did minor damage in Coffee County.

A woman and her son were killed in the basement of a home when a concrete block wall collapsed in Franklin County. Homes were leveled at Harmony, 'Pleasant Ridge', and 'Broadview'. GRAZULIS: Moved northeast fron the southeast corner of Lincoln County, gradually intensifying as it crossed into Franklin County. A death by heart attack (not counted) also occurred at Dowelltown.įrom SIGNIFICANT TORNADOES 1680-1995 by THOMAS P. Most of the property losses were in Dowelltown, where the post office, a factory, and 18 homes were severely damaged or destroyed. A woman was killed in a trailer at Sycamore. GRAZULIS: Moved northeast from Sycamore to Dowelltown. The funnel dissipated at the Franklin County line.įrom SIGNIFICANT TORNADOES 1680-1995 by THOMAS P.

Nearly 1000 buildings were destroyed by these two tornadoes, but no effort was made to determine the exact number of buildings destroyed by the individual tornadoes. The tornado produced F3 or F4 damage for its entire path length. Two of the six deaths in Tennessee were in a church near 'Vanntown', near Flintville. Tanner, Capshaw, and Harvest were hit by both tornadoes. Up to 19 people were injured in one home. GRAZULIS: Moved northeast from just north of the Tennessee River, 8 miles south-southwest of Athens, just a half mile north of the track of tornado #96, which passed by a half hour earlier. Damaged totalled $200,000.įrom SIGNIFICANT TORNADOES 1680-1995 by THOMAS P. Damage was near-F4 intensity to three homes that were completely destroyed. GRAZULIS: Moved east-northeast from 5 miles northwest of Murfreesboro, passing west of Lascassas and ending near Statesville. Damage totalled $1,000,000.įrom SIGNIFICANT TORNADOES 1680-1995 by THOMAS P. At Dickson Springs, near-F4 damage occurred to a few of the half dozen homes that were destroyed. GRAZULIS: Moved northeast from 3 miles northwest of Lebanon, passing along the east edge of Trousdale County, hitting Dickson Springs in Smith County and then moving back into Trousdale County. Photos taken near Percy Priest Lake courtesy of Niki Gentry ( original photographer unknown)įrom SIGNIFICANT TORNADOES 1680-1995 by THOMAS P. Most NWS personnel today would rate this as an (E)F3 tornado. GRAZULIS: Moved northeast at the southeast edge of Nashville, tearing apart and unroofing large homes, trailers, and businesses at or near the 'edge o' Lake' subdivision. Middle Tennessee portion of April 3-4, 1974 Super Outbreak (NOTE: NOT TO SCALE)Īpril 3-4 1974 Middle Tennessee Tornadoesįrom SIGNIFICANT TORNADOES 1680-1995 by THOMAS P. If you have stories, photos, videos, or other information from the April 3-4, 1974 Super Outbreak that you would like to share, please contact us at of April 3-4, 1974 Super Outbreak This webpage serves to commemorate this historic event with a look back at the 24 tornadoes that struck Middle Tennessee that day, with maps, photos, videos, newspaper articles, research, and more. The 'Super Outbreak' is considered the worst tornado outbreak to strike the Upper Cumberland Region, with 38 people killed and hundreds of others injured. In fact, several other weak tornadoes also likely touched down that were never officially recorded. Damage from all of the tornadoes combined added up to a path more than 2,500 miles long.Īcross Middle Tennessee, at least 24 tornadoes affected areas along and east of the I-65 corridor, making this the largest known outbreak of tornadoes to ever impact the Mid State. When it was over, 330 people were dead and 5,484 were injured. Dubbed the 'Super Outbreak', at least 148 tornadoes struck 13 states from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes over a 16 hour period from the afternoon of Apinto the early morning hours of April 4, 1974. This year marks the 48th anniversary of the April 3-4, 1974 tornado outbreak - one of the worst tornado outbreaks to ever affect the U.S.

1974 super outbreak