Titan Archive
YearFinal SPC data

1974

945 tornadoes in 1974, with 1,660 hail and 2,601 wind reports, from the NOAA SPC severe weather database.

Tornado recordHail + windDaily reportsStorm Events narrativesEF ScaleMax path width
366
Tornado deaths
F0 222 F1 384 F2 208 F3 95 F4 29 F5 7
Hail and wind show significant reports only (2 in or larger, 65 kt or stronger). Click a legend item to show or hide it, or "only" to see just that. Select anything on the map to open its record.

Tornadoes by month

Jan: 24Feb: 23Mar: 36Apr: 267May: 144Jun: 194Jul: 59Aug: 107Sep: 25Oct: 45Nov: 13Dec: 8
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Hail reports by month

Jan: 8Feb: 17Mar: 74Apr: 301May: 456Jun: 526Jul: 112Aug: 124Sep: 17Oct: 15Nov: 10Dec: 0
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Wind reports by month

Jan: 44Feb: 63Mar: 215Apr: 442May: 361Jun: 775Jul: 323Aug: 211Sep: 104Oct: 28Nov: 25Dec: 10
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Storm days

Every day with a tornado, hail or wind report. Warmer colors mean more tornadoes; gray days had hail or wind only; a white ring marks a day with an F4/EF4 or stronger tornado.

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Running count

1974 against the years around it and the 1991 to 2020 average
19741991 to 2020 average1969 to 1979 (other years)
03757501,1251,500JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec1969: 608 tornadoes1970: 653 tornadoes1971: 889 tornadoes1972: 741 tornadoes1973: 1,102 tornadoes1975: 919 tornadoes1976: 834 tornadoes1977: 852 tornadoes1978: 789 tornadoes1979: 855 tornadoes19749451991-20 avg1,231

945 tornadoes in 1974, 23% below the 1991 to 2020 average of 1,231.

Counts by storm day (12Z to 12Z). Reporting changed a great deal over the decades, so years far from 1991 to 2020 are not a like-for-like comparison with the average.

Busiest tornado days

#DayTornadoesF/EF4+DeathsStrongestStates
104/03/7414330310F5AL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MI, MS, NC, NY, OH +3
206/08/7436222F4IL, KS, MO, OK
306/20/743401F3IA, IL, IN, MI, MN, MS, SD, WI, WY
408/10/742500F3IL
504/01/742304F3AL, AR, IL, IN, KY, LA, MI, MS, NC, OH +1
605/11/741904F3FL, GA, MI, OH, SC
706/07/741701F2GA, IN, LA, MI, MS, TN, TX
810/28/741604F3LA, TX
904/21/741512F4AR, IL, MI, MS, TX, WI
1004/13/741500F3IL, MO, NC, TX
1104/20/741300F3KS, NE, OK, SD, TX
1210/30/741300F2NE, OK, TX
1306/09/741200F2IA, IL, LA, MI, MN, WI
1405/13/741100F3IA, KS, MO, NE
1506/03/741100F2IA, MN, NM, TX

Busiest severe weather days

tornado, hail and wind reports together
#DayAll reportsTornadoesHailWindLargest hailTop gust
106/20/7438134792682.75 in86 kt (99 mph)
204/03/7432514399834.5 in85 kt (98 mph)
304/14/741873321523 in85 kt (98 mph)
404/01/741422343763 in82 kt (94 mph)
506/08/741353616833 in100 kt (115 mph)
606/14/74130597282.75 in61 kt (70 mph)
703/20/74106103931.75 in86 kt (99 mph)
805/30/74941041432.75 in72 kt (83 mph)
906/21/7489734482.75 in63 kt (72 mph)
1005/13/74831143294.5 in68 kt (78 mph)
1108/17/7479819521.75 in74 kt (85 mph)
1206/05/7475246271.75 in86 kt (99 mph)
1306/06/7465824334.5 in62 kt (71 mph)
1404/20/74631329212 in63 kt (72 mph)
1506/22/746266501.75 in61 kt (70 mph)

Largest hail

top 15
#DateSizePlaceNote
103/10/744.5 inCrawford County, AR
204/03/744.5 inHardin County, KY
304/03/744.5 inGaston County, NC
405/04/744.5 inPotter County, TX
505/13/744.5 inStafford County, KS
605/20/744.5 inLyman County, SD
706/06/744.5 inStephens County, OK
806/06/744.5 inStephens County, OK
906/06/744.5 inStephens County, OK
1006/06/744.5 inCarter County, OK
1106/06/744.5 inCarter County, OK
1208/19/744.5 inJohnson County, KS
1310/22/743.25 inEl Paso County, TX
1404/01/743 inWashington County, MS
1504/03/743 inHenry County, IN

Strongest wind gusts

top 15, measured first on ties
#DateGustmphTypePlaceNote
106/08/74100 kt115Not givenTulsa County, OK
211/20/7495 kt109Not givenWestmoreland County, PA
305/27/7490 kt104Not givenWeston County, WY
407/05/7490 kt104Not givenHampden County, MA
503/21/7486 kt99Not givenMuscogee County, GA
605/22/7486 kt99Not givenGarfield County, OK
706/05/7486 kt99Not givenPhillips County, KS
806/09/7486 kt99Not givenFranklin County, MO
906/20/7486 kt99Not givenRamsey County, MN
1009/21/7486 kt99Not givenAtlantic County, NJ
1104/03/7485 kt98Not givenFranklin County, KY
1204/14/7485 kt98Not givenLorain County, OH
1304/14/7485 kt98Not givenClinton County, PA
1404/14/7485 kt98Not givenLancaster County, PA
1507/14/7485 kt98Not givenDelta County, MI

F4/EF4 and stronger

36
DateRatingTornadoStateLengthWidthDeathsInjuries
04/03/74F5Troy to Scottsburg, IndianaIN68.0 mi10 yd686
04/03/74F5Bellbrook to South Vienna, OhioOH31.3 mi533 yd361,150
04/03/74F4Carthage to Mount Summit, IndianaIN18.9 mi10 yd017
04/03/74F4Mineral Springs to Lake Santee, IndianaIN35.6 mi1,200 yd417
04/03/74F4Scottsburg to Versailles, IndianaIN35.6 mi1,200 yd11190
04/03/74F5Hardinsburg, KY to Brandenburg, KYKY, IN32.0 mi440 yd31270
04/03/74F4Mount Summit to Ridgeville, IndianaIN18.0 mi1,400 yd112
04/03/74F4Milton to Aurora, IndianaIN27.1 mi1,133 yd0104
04/03/74F4Morgantown to Leitchfield, KentuckyKY14.0 mi150 yd02
04/03/74F5Rising Sun, IN to Taylor Creek, OHIN, KY, OH20.8 mi533 yd3210
04/03/74F4Elmwood Place to Lebanon, OhioOH19.8 mi350 yd239
04/03/74F4Parkway Village to Crestwood, KentuckyKY18.5 mi10 yd3225
04/03/74F4Otterbein to Lagrange, IndianaIN109 mi1,760 yd18285
04/03/74F4Elizabethtown to Taylorsville, KentuckyKY37.9 mi10 yd381
04/03/74F4Calhoun to Eton, GeorgiaGA29.5 mi200 yd967
04/03/74F4Greensburg to Campbellsville, KentuckyKY20.2 mi10 yd056
04/03/74F4Lawrenceburg to Georgetown, KentuckyKY79.4 mi10 yd4122
04/03/74F5Moulton to Madison, AlabamaAL52.0 mi500 yd28267
04/03/74F4Pickensville to Fairview, AlabamaAL111 mi500 yd3178
04/03/74F4Burkesville to Monticello, KentuckyKY38.4 mi10 yd10113
04/03/74F4Lancaster to Winchester, KentuckyKY31.9 mi10 yd728
04/03/74F4Nelson to Dawsonville, GeorgiaGA17.7 mi200 yd630
04/03/74F5Trinity, AL to Manchester, TNAL, TN83.3 mi500 yd16190
04/03/74F4Fayetteville to Estill Springs, TennesseeTN27.5 mi800 yd11121
04/03/74F4Sparta to Monterey, TennesseeTN28.4 mi700 yd1051
04/03/74F4McCaysville, GA to Murphy, NCGA, NC24.0 mi400 yd426
04/03/74F4Byrdstown, TN to Jamestown, TNTN, KY11.0 mi300 yd56
04/03/74F5Sulligent to Decatur, AlabamaAL79.5 mi500 yd28272
04/03/74F4Monterey to Allardt, TennesseeTN18.8 mi200 yd7150
04/03/74F4Monticello to Winfield, KentuckyKY16.1 mi10 yd00
04/21/74F4Brandon to Oshkosh, WisconsinWI26.0 mi200 yd035
06/08/74F4Drumright to Skiatook, OklahomaOK29.0 mi400 yd14150
06/08/74F4Emporia to Auburn, KansasKS37.5 mi1,760 yd6177
06/18/74F4Ankeny to Carlisle, IowaIA15.3 mi400 yd250
08/12/74F4Coggon, IowaIA5.0 mi400 yd012
08/12/74F4Victor, IowaIA2.0 mi100 yd02

Deadliest tornadoes

DateRatingTornadoStateLengthWidthDeathsInjuries
04/03/74F5Bellbrook to South Vienna, OhioOH31.3 mi533 yd361,150
04/03/74F5Hardinsburg, KY to Brandenburg, KYKY, IN32.0 mi440 yd31270
04/03/74F5Moulton to Madison, AlabamaAL52.0 mi500 yd28267
04/03/74F5Sulligent to Decatur, AlabamaAL79.5 mi500 yd28272
04/03/74F4Otterbein to Lagrange, IndianaIN109 mi1,760 yd18285
04/03/74F5Trinity, AL to Manchester, TNAL, TN83.3 mi500 yd16190
06/08/74F4Drumright to Skiatook, OklahomaOK29.0 mi400 yd14150
04/03/74F4Scottsburg to Versailles, IndianaIN35.6 mi1,200 yd11190
04/03/74F4Fayetteville to Estill Springs, TennesseeTN27.5 mi800 yd11121
04/03/74F4Burkesville to Monticello, KentuckyKY38.4 mi10 yd10113
04/03/74F4Sparta to Monterey, TennesseeTN28.4 mi700 yd1051
04/03/74F4Calhoun to Eton, GeorgiaGA29.5 mi200 yd967
04/03/74F4Lancaster to Winchester, KentuckyKY31.9 mi10 yd728
04/03/74F3Ferguson to Mount Vernon, KentuckyKY22.3 mi10 yd740
04/03/74F4Monterey to Allardt, TennesseeTN18.8 mi200 yd7150
  • Storm days. A day here runs from 12Z to 12Z (6 a.m. CST to 6 a.m. CST the next morning), the way SPC counts storm days, so an overnight tornado counts with the afternoon and evening before it.
  • Reporting changed over time. Tornado counts rose from the 1990s on as Doppler radar, spotter networks and cameras caught more weak tornadoes. Counts from different decades are not directly comparable, especially for the weakest ratings.
  • F and EF ratings. The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale replaced the Fujita (F) Scale on 02/01/07. Both estimate wind speed from damage, but they use different damage indicators, so each rating is shown with its own scale.
  • Ratings before the mid 1970s. The F Scale came into use in the early 1970s. Tornadoes from 1950 until then were rated afterward from newspaper accounts, photos and records, which tends to make those ratings less certain.
Titan Archive · a Tornado Titans project Data: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database · updated 10/03/26