Great Storm of 1975 facts for kids
| Category 3 "Major" (RSI: 6.117) | |
Surface analysis of the storm on January 11, 1975
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| Type | Extratropical cyclone Winter storm Blizzard Panhandle Hook Tornado outbreak |
|---|---|
| Formed | January 9, 1975 |
| Dissipated | January 12, 1975 |
| Lowest pressure | 961 mb (28.38 inHg) |
| Tornadoes confirmed | 45 |
| Max rating1 | F4 tornado |
| Maximum snowfall or ice accretion | 27 in (68.6 cm) (Riverton, Minnesota) |
| Damage | US$20 million (snow); US$43 million (tornado) |
| Total fatalities | 58 fatalities, unknown injuries (snow); 12 fatalities, 377 injuries (tornado) |
| Areas affected | Midwest and Southeast United States |
| 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale | |
The Great Storm of 1975 was a huge and powerful storm system. It hit a large part of the central and southeastern U.S. from January 9 to January 12, 1975. This storm is also known by other names like the Super Bowl Blizzard or Minnesota's Storm of the Century.
It caused 45 tornadoes in the Southeast U.S., which led to 12 deaths. Later, it dropped over 2 feet (60 cm) of snow in the Midwest, killing 58 people. This storm was one of the worst blizzards to ever hit parts of the Midwest. It was also one of the biggest January tornado outbreaks ever recorded in the United States.
Contents
How the Storm Formed
The storm started over the Pacific Ocean and hit the Northwest coast with strong winds on January 8, 1975. By January 9, it had moved past the Rocky Mountains and started to grow stronger. At the same time, very cold air from Canada was pulled south into the Great Plains. Also, a lot of warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico was pulled north into the eastern U.S..
This storm was a classic "Panhandle Hook" type. It moved from Colorado into Oklahoma before turning north towards the Upper Midwest. It caused record low air pressure readings in the Midwest. The pressure dropped to about 28.38 inches (961 mb) just north of the Minnesota border in Canada.
Tornado Outbreak
When the Tornadoes Hit
What was unusual about this storm was that the tornadoes formed even without the usual daytime heat. Strong thunderstorms and tornadoes quickly started to appear late at night. The first two tornadoes touched down after 10:00 p.m. on January 9 in Oklahoma and Louisiana.
The tornadoes then moved eastward through the night and early morning. This set the stage for a record-setting day on January 10. Texas had five tornadoes between 1:30 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. Arkansas saw one tornado at 6:00 a.m. Louisiana had seven tornadoes between 5:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., killing one person. Mississippi had five tornadoes between 8:15 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., killing nine people. Illinois and Indiana each had three tornadoes around lunchtime. The line of storms then moved into Alabama (killing one) and Florida in the afternoon and evening.
| State | Total | County | County total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 1 | St. Clair | 1 |
| Florida | 1 | Bay | 1 |
| Louisiana | 1 | Acadia | 1 |
| Mississippi | 9 | Lincoln | 5 |
| Pike | 4 | ||
| Totals | 12 | ||
| All deaths were tornado-related | |||
Mississippi and Alabama were hit the hardest by this outbreak. Alabama had the most tornadoes with 13. However, Mississippi saw the largest and deadliest tornado. An F4 tornado ripped through Pike, Lincoln, Lawrence, and Simpson Counties. This tornado, which is very powerful, killed nine people and injured over 200. It badly damaged 38 blocks in the town of McComb.
The 39 tornadoes that touched down on January 10 set a record for the most active tornado day in January in U.S. history at that time. The 52 tornadoes that hit during January 1975 also set a U.S. record for that month. Both of these records were later broken in January 1999.
After a calm day on January 11, four more tornadoes touched down in Florida and Georgia on January 12. One person died in Florida. By the time the outbreak was over, it had produced 45 tornadoes. It killed 12 people, injured 377, and caused $42 million in damages.
Confirmed Tornadoes
| FU | F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 28 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 45 |
Blizzard
As the storm system moved northeast out of Oklahoma, cold air behind it mixed with moisture. This created snow over a large part of the Midwest. The snow started falling on Friday, January 10, and continued for two days.
Many areas from Nebraska to Minnesota got a foot (30.5 cm) or more of snow. The highest amount was 27 inches (68.6 cm) in Riverton, Minnesota. The heaviest snow fell west of the storm's center. This center moved from northeast Iowa through central Minnesota up to Lake Superior.
Strong winds of 30-50 mph (48-80 km/h) with gusts up to 70-90 mph (113-145 km/h) caused huge snowdrifts. Some drifts were up to 20 feet (6 m) high in certain places. Some roads were closed for as long as 11 days.
Sioux Falls, South Dakota had very low visibility (less than 1/4 mile or 0.4 km) for 24 hours straight. Just east of Sioux Falls, a 2,000-foot (610 m) broadcast tower fell down because of the storm. In Willmar, Minnesota, 168 passengers were stuck on a train for hours. They could not walk to shelter because the wind chill made it dangerously cold. Omaha, Nebraska got a foot (31 cm) of snow. Sioux Falls saw 7 inches (17.8 cm), Duluth, Minnesota saw 8 inches (20.3 cm), and International Falls, Minnesota saw 24 inches (61 cm).
Record low air pressures were recorded in Nebraska, Minnesota, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Duluth, Minnesota, had a low of 28.55 inches (966.8 mb). In total, about 58 people died from the blizzard. Over 100,000 farm animals were also lost. The combination of heavy snow, strong winds, and cold temperatures made this one of the worst blizzards the Upper Midwest has ever seen.
Record Events
This storm system had a big effect on the weather across the entire eastern half of the country. Many weather records were set during the four days of this storm. These included daily high temperatures, wind gusts, low air pressure readings, and the number of tornadoes.
Daily High Temperatures
January 10
- Chicago: 60 °F (15.6 °C)
- Indianapolis, Indiana: 62 °F (16.7 °C)
- Louisville, Kentucky: 66 °F (18.9 °C)
- South Bend, Indiana: 61 °F (16.1 °C)
January 11
- New York City: 65 °F (18.3 °C)
- Providence, Rhode Island: 61 °F (16.1 °C)
- Washington, D.C.: 75 °F (23.9 °C)
Low Pressure Measurements
- Duluth, Minnesota: 28.55 in (966.8 mb)
- Minneapolis, Minnesota: 28.62 in (969.2 mb)
- Rochester, Minnesota: 28.67 in (970.9 mb)
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin: 28.86 in (977.3 mb)
- Rockford, Illinois: 28.87 in (977.6 mb)
- St. Louis, Missouri: 28.93 in (979.7 mb)
Tornado Records
- Most tornadoes on one day in January: 39
- Most tornadoes in the United States during January: 52
Images for kids
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Damage from an F3 tornado in St. Clair County, Alabama
