Super Outbreak of 1974
Super Outbreak of 1974, series of tornadoes that caused severe damage to the Midwestern, southern, and eastern United States and Ontario, Canada, on April 3β4, 1974. One of the largest outbreaks of tornadoes ever recorded, it consisted of 148 tornadoes and resulted in more than $1 billion in damage and 330 deaths. (Four of these tornadoes were later reclassified as downbursts by Japanese American meteorologist T. Theodore Fujita.) The states affected were Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and New York.
This article was most recently revised and updated by John P. Rafferty.
Citation Information
Article Title:
Super Outbreak of 1974
Website Name:
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher:
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published:
04 April 2026
Access Date:
November 15, 2026