April 3-4, 1974

The 1974 Super Outbreak spanned April 3-4, spawning 148 tornadoes. These twisters and their catastrophic damage impacted 13 states. According to the National Weather Service, “95 were rated F2 or stronger on the Fujita Scale, and 30 were F4 or F5.” Pictured is a portion of a map showing the paths taken by the tornadoes. The map below, hand-drawn by Ted Fujita, indicates that several tornadoes from the outbreak hit Champaign County and surrounding areas. Three touched down in Champaign County, impacting country areas east of Tolono, north of Philo, and south of Sidney. One of the tornadoes went through Homer Lake Forest Preserve, destroying the park’s headquarters.