| Tornado outbreak of April 21–24, 1968 | |
| Type: | Tornado outbreak |
| Active: | April 21–24, 1968 |
| Tornadoes: | 26 confirmed |
| Fujitascale: | F5 |
| Tornado Duration: | 3 days and 12 hours |
| Hail: | 5abbr=onNaNabbr=on on April 23 |
| Gusts: | 59abbr=onNaNabbr=on on April 23 |
| Fatalities: | 14 fatalities, 525 injuries |
| Damages: | $47.433 million (1968 USD) $ (USD) |
| Enhanced: | no |
| Partof: | the tornado outbreaks of 1968 |
On April 21–24, 1968, a deadly tornado outbreak struck portions of the Midwestern United States, primarily along the Ohio River Valley. The worst tornado was an F5 that struck portions of Southeastern Ohio from Wheelersburg to Gallipolis, just north of the Ohio–Kentucky state line, killing seven people and injuring at least 93. Another long-tracked violent tornado killed six people, injured 364 others, and produced possible F5 damage as it tracked along the Ohio River. At least one other violent tornado caused an additional fatality and 33 injuries in Ohio. In the end, at least 26 tornadoes touched down, leaving 14 dead, including five in Kentucky and nine in Ohio.
| Region | Locale | Deaths | Injuries | Damages | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Kansas | 0 | 0 | [1] | ||
| Kentucky | 5 | 378 | [2] | |||
| Louisiana | 0 | 0 | [3] | |||
| Michigan | 0 | 13 | [4] | |||
| North Carolina | 0 | 0 | [5] | |||
| Ohio | 9 | 131 | [6] | |||
| Oklahoma | 0 | 2 | [7] | |||
| Tennessee | 0 | 1 | [8] | |||
| Texas | 0 | 0 | [9] | |||
| Total | 14 | 525 | [10] | |||
| Location | County / Parish | State | Start | Time (UTC) | Path length | width | Summary | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bgcolor=# | F1 | NE of Cedar Valley | Logan | OK | 35.88°N -97.53°W | 10:00–? | 0.2miles | 100yd | Tornado partially unroofed a home and tore its porch loose. Walls were damaged as well. The home itself shifted somewhat on its foundation. Tornado also wrenched a tree from the soil and felled it. Fencing and barbed wire were torn apart as well. A 2by board lodged itself into the ground and could not be removed. Losses totaled $25,000. | |
| bgcolor=# | F2 | SW of Medicine Lodge to E of Nashville | Barber, Kingman | KS | 37.4°N -98.4°W | 21:00–22:10 | 30.1miles | 33yd | Damage was intermittent along the path. A trailer, post office, farmhouse, and barns were destroyed or damaged. Losses totaled $250,000. NCEI lists the path as starting south-southeast of Nashville and ending east-southeast of Varner, or west-northwest of Waterloo. | |
| bgcolor=# | F1 | NW of Roxana | Kingfisher | OK | 36.15°N -97.72°W | 23:20–23:45 | 0.1miles | 33yd | Tornado west of Marshall tore a tin roof off a barn and damaged trees. Losses totaled $250. | |
| bgcolor=# | F2 | SW of Shawnee | Angelina | TX | 31.2°N -94.52°W | 02:00–? | 1miles | 17yd | Tornado blew a CBS-type home off its foundation, damaged a barn, and tore roofing shingles off several houses. Tornado also smashed windows and tore screens loose. NaNadj=midNaNadj=mid hail attended the parent storm. Losses totaled $2,500. Grazulis did not list the tornado as an F2 or stronger. |
| Location | County / Parish | State | Start | Time (UTC) | Path length | width | Summary | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bgcolor=# | F0 | SW of Aspermont | Stonewall | TX | 33.08°N -100.28°W | 07:00–07:30 | 0.1miles | 33yd | Tornado touched down over open farmland. Losses were unknown. | |
| bgcolor=# | F1 | SW of Ponder | Denton | TX | 33.17°N -97.3°W | 12:40–? | 1.5miles | 20yd | Tornado damaged three barns, sheared off a large pecan tree, and downed utility poles and fences. A house shifted on its foundation and sustained broken windows as well. Losses totaled $2,500. | |
| bgcolor=# | F1 | NNW of Rhea Mills | Collin | TX | 33.28°N -96.73°W | 13:50–? | 0.5miles | 17yd | Tornado southeast of Celina struck at a point 9miles northwest of McKinney and reportedly affected two communities, Chambersville and "Rollins". Tornado ripped off a porch and part of a roof from a farmhouse. A few nearby barns were also unroofed. High tension power lines were downed as well. Losses totaled $25,000. | |
| bgcolor=# | F1 | Southwestern Fort Worth | Tarrant | TX | 32.67°N -97.42°W | 17:08–17:15 | 0.3miles | 20yd | Tornado reported east of Benbrook. Losses were unknown. | |
| bgcolor=# | F0 | SE of Hobart | Kiowa | OK | 35.02°N -99.08°W | 20:00–20:27 | 0.1miles | 33yd | Tornado reported. Losses were unknown. | |
| bgcolor=# | F2 | Southern Midwest City | Oklahoma | OK | 35.43°N -97.4°W | 21:50–? | 0.1miles | 17yd | Tornado destroyed two hangars at Tinker Air Force Base. Tornado then struck a nearby automobile dealership, unroofing the showroom and showering parked cars with debris. Windows, signage, a car wash, and a used-car lot also incurred damage. A 2by rafter traveled 800feet and pierced a windshield. One person was injured and losses totaled $250,000. | |
| bgcolor=# | F1 | Northwestern Wilburton | Latimer | OK | 34.92°N -95.35°W | 23:40–? | 3.3miles | 67yd | Tornado damaged or destroyed 11 homes, a barn, and three mobile homes. Power lines and trees were downed as well. One person was injured and losses totaled $25,000. Grazulis classified the tornado as an F2. |
| Location | County / Parish | State | Start | Time (UTC) | Path length | width | Summary | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bgcolor=# | F1 | Frontier to NNE of Pittsford | Hillsdale | MI | 41.78°N -84.6°W | 17:50–? | 9.3miles | 200yd | Tornado damaged 54 cottages and homes. One person was injured and losses totaled $250,000. | |
| bgcolor=# | F4 | SW of Falmouth, KY to WNW of Mule Town, OH | Pendleton (KY), Bracken (KY), Mason (KY), Brown (OH), Adams (OH), Scioto (OH) | KY, OH | 38.67°N -84.37°W | 18:41–? | 78.7miles | 550yd | 6 deaths – See section on this tornado – May have been a family of two or three tornadoes and reached F5 intensity at one or more locations. 364 people were injured.[11] | |
| bgcolor=# | F3 | Big Rapids to E of Marion | Mecosta, Osceola | MI | 43.7°N -85.48°W | 18:53–? | 60.9miles | 100yd | Tornado family struck the town of Big Rapids. A total of 25 homes and businesses were damaged, causing $500,000 in damage. One home lost its roof and two walls, and several cottages were leveled. Four homes were torn apart east of Paris as well, and extensive damage occurred just east of Marion. 11 people were injured and losses totaled $5 million. Grazulis classified the tornado as an F2. | |
| bgcolor=# | F4 | W of Glen Este to E of Westboro | Clermont, Brown, Clinton | OH | 39.1°N -84.27°W | 18:56–? | 24.1miles | 300yd | 1 death – Large tornado, proceeding at 45to, passed through or near Glen Este, Willowville, Perintown, and Newtonsville. It destroyed 35 homes, 50 barns, and one house trailer. The tornado attained a peak width of 1000yd near Newtonsville. 33 people were injured and losses totaled $7.5 million. | |
| bgcolor=# | F1 | SE of Fayette | Fulton | OH | 41.7°N -84.3°W | 19:15–? | 0.1miles | 100yd | Trees, power lines, and roofing were damaged. Losses totaled $25,000. | |
| bgcolor=# | F0 | Western Livonia | Wayne | MI | 42.37°N -83.42°W | 19:30–? | 0.1miles | 20yd | One person was injured and losses totaled $25,000. | |
| bgcolor=# | F2 | ENE of Chatham to Dover | Bracken, Mason | KY | 38.72°N -84°W | 19:30–? | ≥0.1miles | 33yd | Secondary tornado struck the same counties already hit by the previous F4. Barns were destroyed in Bracken County. Losses totaled $30. Grazulis did not list the tornado as an F2 or stronger. | |
| bgcolor=# | F1 | N of Fursville to NE of Alexandria | Licking | OH | 40.02°N -82.72°W | 20:30–? | 8.2miles | 200yd | Tornado formed northwest of Columbia Center, south of Jersey, and bypassed Pataskala. Barns and other outbuildings were extensively damaged or destroyed. A school was partly unroofed and other structures incurred damage to their roofs as well. Losses totaled $250,000. | |
| bgcolor=# | F2 | SE of Harrison Furnace to NNW of Pinkerman | Scioto | OH | 38.82°N -82.87°W | 20:30–? | 4.9miles | 100yd | Tornado passed south of Minford and struck the Greater Portsmouth Regional Airport, which was known as Scioto County Airport at the time. 12 aircraft were destroyed or damaged at the airport. One man was severely injured when a CBS-type barn collapsed. Several outbuildings and homes were damaged or destroyed as well. Losses totaled $250,000. | |
| bgcolor=# | F1 | Southern Smithville | DeKalb | TN | 35.95°N -85.82°W | 20:58–? | 0.1miles | 3yd | Tornado struck the Miller Heights subdivision in Smithville, unroofing and tearing apart a home. Numerous other structures and three trailers were destroyed or damaged as well. One person was injured and losses totaled $250,000. Grazulis classified the tornado as an F2. | |
| bgcolor=# | F5 | SSE of South Shore to Wheelersburg to Gallipolis | Greenup, Scioto, Lawrence, Gallia | KY, OH | 38.7°N -82.8°W | 21:05–? | 43miles | 400yd | 7 deaths – See section on this tornado – Rating disputed. 93 people were injured. | |
| bgcolor=# | F2 | NNE of Lyons Point | Acadia | LA | 30.13°N -92.35°W | 22:00–? | 1miles | 67yd | Tornado occurred south of Crowley. One barn was destroyed, a second barn was damaged, and a house trailer was overturned. Losses totaled $2,500. Grazulis did not list the tornado as an F2 or stronger. NCEI lists the touchdown as southwest of Ebenezer. | |
| bgcolor=# | F2 | Southern Nicholasville to WNW of Union Mills | Jessamine | KY | 37.87°N -84.58°W | 22:34–? | 3.3miles | 60yd | Several homes sustained roof damage and one lost its roof entirely. Another home shifted off its foundation. A barn was obliterated and scattered over 60to. Three people were injured and losses totaled $250,000. Grazulis listed six injuries. |
| Location | County / Parish | State | Start | Time (UTC) | Path length | width | Summary | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bgcolor=# | F2 | SSW of Bayview | Beaufort | NC | 35.42°N -76.8°W | 22:00–? | 2miles | 200yd | Intermittent, localized damage affected three separate points. Various outbuildings, barns, and a dwelling were destroyed or damaged. Tornado also twisted apart 2adj=midNaNadj=mid trees. Losses totaled $25,000. Grazulis did not list the tornado as an F2 or stronger. |
| Falmouth–Berlin–Bladeston–Chatham–Dover, Kentucky/Ripley–Decatur–Otway, Ohio |
| Fujita-Scale: | F4 |
| Year: | 1968 |
| Deaths: | 6 |
| Injuries: | 364 |
| Damages: | $27,775,250 |
This destructive, long-tracked, intense tornado began NaNto southwest of Falmouth, Kentucky, and tracked generally eastward or east-northeastward into town at approximately 3:45 p.m. EDT (19:45 UTC). The tornado passed just southeast of the business district, its parent supercell attended by grapefruit-sized hailstones. The tornado damaged 380 homes in Falmouth and 40% of the town itself. 280 homes in Falmouth were described as having been either destroyed or sustained major damage. Four fatalities and 350 injuries occurred in Pendleton County, Kentucky, primarily in and near Falmouth. Crossing into Bracken County, the tornado caused additional damage in or near the communities of Berlin, Bladeston, and Chatham. Across Bracken County about 70 homes were destroyed or damaged and 175 barns were destroyed. One fatality was reported outside Augusta, and eight other people were injured in Bracken County. Entering Mason County, the tornado devastated Dover at 4:15 p.m. EDT (20:15 UTC), severely damaging 115 of 127 houses there. Six trailers and churches were destroyed and three businesses were damaged as well. Eyewitnesses in Dover reported two or three funnel clouds during the passage of the primary tornado. Two injuries occurred in Mason County. In Kentucky the tornado left 500 to 700 people homeless.
The tornado then crossed into Brown County, Ohio, south of Levanna and struck Ripley, where 30 homes were damaged, 40 barns were destroyed, and a tobacco warehouse and a shoe plant were badly damaged. Local reports suggested two separate tornado tracks in the area, one north of Ripley and another through town. One fatality occurred about 3miles north of Ripley. The main tornado, moving east-northeastward at about 50mi/h, then continued through Brown County, destroying 17 barns near Decatur, before moving through Adams County, where 25 homes and barns were damaged or destroyed and four trailer homes were destroyed. Final reports of damage occurred near Otway and Lucasville in Scioto County. Four people were injured in Brown County. The tornado occasionally lifted as it dipped into valleys but mostly remained on the ground, though it may have been a tornado family. It produced high-end F4 damage and may have been an F5 like the Wheelersburg–Gallipolis event, but is officially rated F4. In all, the tornado injured 364 people and caused $27,775,250 in losses.[12]
| South Shore, Kentucky/Wheelersburg–Lyra–Buckhorn–Cadmus–Centenary–Gallipolis, Ohio | |
| Formed: | April 23, 1968 |
| Winds: | >261mph |
| Fujita-Scale: | F5 |
| Year: | 1968 |
| Fatalities: | 7 |
| Injuries: | 93 |
| Damages: | $2,750,030 |
| Affected: | South Shore, KY to Wheelersburg and Gallipolis, Ohio |
At around 5:00 p.m. EDT (21:00 UTC), the deadliest tornado of the outbreak touched down in the South Shore, Kentucky area where it caused F3 level damage to multiple homes and trees. The tornado crossed the Ohio River into Ohio; while doing so, the tornado struck a freight train stationed beside the river, toppling 10 empty coal-hoppers, one of which it lifted 100feet. The tornado then affected a combined trucking terminal and garage, a transfer company, a farm supplier, and seven homes at the foot of a hillside. One of the homes was swept from its foundation. Cars were tossed from US 52 as well. The tornado missed downtown Wheelersburg, but peripheral winds downed tree limbs in town, and a number of homes incurred damage as well. Outside Wheelersburg proper, the tornado intensified as it struck the Dogwood Ridge subdivision, causing F5 damage there. Of the 550 homes reportedly destroyed or damaged around Wheelersburg, most were located in the Dogwood Ridge area, approximately 4miles east-northeast of town. All known fatalities and 75 injuries occurred in this area. A greenhouse was destroyed and a furniture company had its roof torn off. A large metal power line truss tower was ripped off at the base and thrown by the tornado. Wheelersburg Cemetery was damaged as well.
Meteorological reports suggested that the tornado weakened after passing Dogwood Ridge and only traveled 4to in Ohio before dissipating. However, official records indicate that the storm moved east into Lawrence and Gallia counties and affected areas near and around the communities of Lyra, Buckhorn, Cadmus, Centenary, and Gallipolis, where the tornado dissipated 34miles after its initial touchdown. One injury occurred in Lawrence County and 17 more in Gallia County. The tornado caused damage in the Gallipolis area before dissipating, where six house trailers, eight homes, and four farm buildings were destroyed. 15 buildings were damaged at the Gallipolis State Institute. In all, the tornado killed seven people, injured 93 others, and caused at least $2,750,030 in damage (1968 USD), approximately $2 million of which occurred in Scioto County alone. Approximately 69 homes and 28 other buildings were destroyed and another 476 structures were damaged. Then-Governor of Ohio Jim Rhodes called in the National Guard to assist the rescue and cleanup efforts. The F5 rating is disputed due to the fact that the homes that were swept away were not properly anchored to their foundations. Some National Weather Service records show that the tornado began with F3-level damage in Greenup County, Kentucky, making its track 43miles in length. This was the first official F5 tornado in Ohio since tornado records began in 1950. Other F5 tornadoes in Ohio took place in Cincinnati and Xenia (near Dayton) on April 3, 1974, and in Niles near Youngstown and Warren on May 31, 1985.[13]
Hail of up to 5inches in diameter piled 1feet high near Baxter, Harlan County, Kentucky, on April 23.[14] Severe thunderstorm winds gusted to 59kn in Wayne County, Michigan, on April 23.