The tornado outbreak of April 1945 occurred on April 12, 1945, in the Midwestern United States, producing numerous strong tornadoes and killing at least 128 people; however, the concurrent death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt overshadowed news of the outbreak.[1]
Confirmed tornadoes
Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
FU
|
F0
|
F1
|
F2
|
F3
|
F4
|
F5
|
Total
|
?
|
0
|
0
|
7
|
5
|
4
|
1
|
≥ 17
|
April 12 event
List of known tornadoes during the tornado outbreak of April 12, 1945[1][nb 1]
F#
|
Location
|
County / Parish
|
State
|
Start coord.
|
Date
|
Time (UTC)
|
Path length
|
Max width
|
Summary
|
F4
|
SE side of Oklahoma City to near Choctaw
|
Oklahoma
|
OK
|
N/A
|
April 12
|
2125
|
20 miles (32 km)
|
N/A
|
Eight deaths, two hundred injuries – Started near Cleveland county line. Destroyed over 160 homes in communities of Valley Brook, Del City, and Choctaw. Most fatalities were family members of military personal at Tinker Air Force Base.[1]
|
F3
|
SE of Wilburton to NE of Red Oak
|
Latimer
|
OK
|
N/A
|
April 12
|
2215
|
12 miles (19 km)
|
N/A
|
Three deaths, fifteen injuries – Hit community of Boggy. Three children died when a home was destroyed.[1]
|
F3
|
Near Roland to N of Dora, AR
|
Sequoyah (OK), Crawford (AR)
|
OK, AR
|
N/A
|
April 12
|
2230
|
20 miles (32 km)
|
N/A
|
Seven deaths, forty injuries – Five deaths in Oklahoma, two in Arkansas
|
F4
|
Muskogee
|
Muskogee
|
OK
|
N/A
|
April 12
|
2250
|
3 miles (4.8 km)
|
N/A
|
Thirteen deaths, two hundred injuries – Violent tornado damaged many buildings on the eastern edge of Muskogee, including a school for the blind, killing thirteen on campus.[1]
|
F2
|
Hulbert
|
Cherokee
|
OK
|
N/A
|
April 12
|
2300
|
4 miles (6.4 km)
|
N/A
|
Four deaths, eight injuries – Short-lived but very damaging tornado destroyed eighty-one buildings in Hulbert
|
F5
|
SW of Antlers to SW of Nashoba
|
Pushmataha
|
OK
|
N/A
|
April 12
|
2340
|
28 miles (45 km)
|
N/A
|
Sixty-nine deaths, 353 injuries – Catastrophic tornado obliterated one third of Antlers and injured 10% of residents. Six hundred buildings were obliterated with another seven hundred damaged. Damages totalled $1.5 million not adjusting for inflation.[nb 2] Some witness claim to have seen two tornadoes, could have been either twins or a multiple-vortex event.[1] Antlers suffered 40% population loss in 1950 census and remains far below its peak pre-tornado population of 3,200.[citation needed]
|
F2
|
S of Harrison to SE of Bellefonte
|
Boone
|
AR
|
N/A
|
April 12
|
0050
|
5 miles (8.0 km)
|
N/A
|
Two injuries; tourist cabins and gas station destroyed
|
F3
|
W of Pineville to S of Stella
|
McDonald
|
MO
|
N/A
|
April 12
|
0100
|
13 miles (21 km)
|
N/A
|
One death, fifteen injuries – Several homes destroyed north of Pineville
|
F2
|
Gage Mountain to E of Berryville
|
Carroll
|
AR
|
N/A
|
April 12
|
0200
|
6 miles (9.7 km)
|
N/A
|
Home destroyed in Cisco community
|
F3
|
Crosses to E of Metalton
|
Madison, Carroll
|
AR
|
N/A
|
April 12
|
0200
|
30 miles (48 km)
|
N/A
|
Nine deaths, thirty injuries – damage to six rural communities
|
F2
|
Palmyra (1st tornado) to Loraine, IL
|
Marion (MO), Adams (IL)
|
MO, IL
|
N/A
|
April 12
|
0215
|
30 miles (48 km)
|
N/A
|
Nineteen injuries. Likely a combination of tornado family and downburst winds;[1] destroyed much of downtown Quincy, including the courthouse.[2]
|
F4
|
SW to NE of Morrisville
|
Polk
|
MO
|
N/A
|
April 12
|
0245
|
8 miles (13 km)
|
N/A
|
Four deaths, nineteen injuries – Northern part of Morrisville had major damage
|
F2
|
Plymouth
|
Hancock, McDonough
|
IL
|
N/A
|
April 12
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
Damage in Plymouth area
|
F3
|
S of Bradleyville to NE of Mansfield
|
Taney, Douglas, Wright
|
MO
|
N/A
|
April 12
|
0250
|
32 miles (51 km)
|
N/A
|
Twenty injuries – intense tornado passed through several rural communities
|
F4
|
SW of Booneville to Minnow Creek
|
Logan, Johnson
|
AR
|
N/A
|
April 12
|
0300
|
50 miles (80 km)
|
N/A
|
Ten deaths, seventy injuries – many homes swept away in rural communities. Tornado passed near Hagarville.[1]
|
F2
|
Industry area
|
McDonough
|
IL
|
N/A
|
April 12
|
0300
|
4 miles (6.4 km)
|
N/A
|
Twenty buildings damaged on west side of Industry.
|
F2
|
Palmyra (2nd tornado)
|
Marion
|
MO
|
N/A
|
April 12
|
0400
|
1 mile (1.6 km)
|
N/A
|
Eleven injuries – second tornado to hit Palmyra; one hundred buildings in northwest part of town damaged.[1]
|
See also
Notes
- ^ All dates are based on the local time zone where the tornado touched down; however, all times are in Coordinated Universal Time for consistency.
- ^ All losses are in 1945 USD unless otherwise stated.
References