April 3, 1974

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It was 42 years ago today that the U.S. experienced what has become known as the "super outbreak." On that day, nearly 150 tornadoes, with 30 F4 or F5 tornadoes, were confirmed. It stood as the single-worst day of tornadoes in U.S. history until the 2011 super outbreak. I wasn't quite 14 yet, and we lived in Florida. Also, in those days, there were no 24/7 news channels, cell phones, internet, or instant news the way we have today. (If you watch the video below of WHAS in Louisville, from April 3, 1974, it appears almost primitive by today's TV and weather reporting standards.) On April 4, we awoke to the national news telling of the tremendous damage in our hometown. As the telephone lines were down, there was no way to get through to see if our families were okay. It was terrifying to wait to hear from our loved ones. We finally did, and thankfully there was no damage to anyone's home. On that day, however, over 300 people lost their lives. Kentucky had the second-greatest death toll that day, with 71 (second only to Alabama's 77 deaths). The small river town of Brandenburg, Kentucky had 31 deaths when the twister went down the town's main street. Thanks to the "traffic helicopter" reporter on WHAS radio, the late Dick Gilbert, Louisville only saw three deaths despite massive damage. Gilbert was in the radio station's traffic copter, ready to do the afternoon rush hour traffic reports. (This is something that people today don't understand, because most traffic reports come from traffic cameras or sensors on the road.) He spotted the tornado in Louisville when it touched down near the airport and followed behind it, broadcasting on air where it was heading. The "super outbreak" of 1974 is credited with the development of Doppler radar, a radar that can pick up wind instead of just the precipitation. April 3 is remembered here in Kentucky every year with sadness for the lives lost, but also with thanksgiving for the heroic actions of people who prevented the death toll from being much worse. Ken Rowland on WHAS TV on April 3, 1974, with footage of the damage in Louisville: