1974 Louisville, KY Tornado (WHAS AM 840 Coverage) Pt.1

[@michaelmayfield7891]

As a former disc jockey from Texas, I really love hearing this. This was the time when radio was awesome. Thank you for posting this.

[@Legend813a]

Michael Mayfield I dig and miss the reverb.

[@ChristopherSaindon]

Remember having live GTE/Contel NOAA weather wire and that lightning fast little printer going on big outbreak days?

[@badcompany-w6s]

Radio at its best. During an emergency.

[@nancyadams9228]

WHAS was a clear channel powerhouse. This was back in the day when journalism was a sacred trust.

[@katg5369]

That was when radio (esp am radio) was entertaining and informative AND local. Not the stuff they put on now.

[@Roz-90]

It's the 50th anniversary today. Yesterday's weather had the building blocks for strong, long track tornadoes, but thankfully it wasn't a big outbreak. There was a tornado starting around Utica, IN and moved into far eastern Louisville, Oldham County, and Henry County that is being evaluated now.

[@35diamondgirl]

I listened to all four parts--what a fascinating glimpse into radio broadcast history, communications history, weather/forecast history, and Kentucky history. In this day of instant communications, it's hard to imagine that the Louisville media and emergency responders seemed unaware of the seriousness of the Brandenburg tornado until several hours into the outbreak, despite Brandenburg being only 45 miles southwest. I was very impressed by the calm and professionalism of the WHAS broadcast team--nowadays, AM radio is gutted by nationally syndicated talk shows and many stations have lost their local flavor, but these guys--Milton Metz and Dick Gilbert, in particular--rose the to challenge. Impressive.

[@jamessimms415]

I will say that 7 years ago when Tuscaloosa, AL was hit by an EF-4 tornado, a local station w/a large corporate ownership I could pick up on my hand crank radio had DJ's relaying information such as open gas stations (a large part of the city lost power & travelers were looking to put gas in their vehicles; & any other information they could pass on.

[@tiffanyhackerspace8377]

Man. Milton Metz and Dick Gilbert are names from my childhood. I have never listens to this, I plan to take in all four parts this weekend :-)

[@Tyrunner0097]

Dick Gilbert was the perfect man for what he did. A retired Air Force pilot, he knew how to keep his cool and stay in control during the storm. His military training served him well at that moment.

[@MrChristopherHaas]

there is a video entitled 1974 SUPER OUTBREAK “ DAY OF THE KILLER TORNADOES” from Periscope films on you tube that gives us the VISUAL of ALL PARTIESin this broadcast including dee jay, man in helicopter, man at weather station and a cameraman at station who took a camera who ran up to the roof to film the tornado bearing down on Louisville. Just a perfect companion video here.

[@Yosef_Morrison]

Today is April 3, 2022 and this anniversary is never forgotten from year to year. I was 10-years-old when this tornado came through. My family had gone into the basement, but then assumed it was all over and came outside. We were standing in the front yard looking at the sky when the funnel cloud was coming our way. The tornado had just done a lot of destruction on Bardstown road and retreated back into the cloud as it flew over our home and then touched down again across Beargrass creek over in the Dundee subdivision. I remember days later we toured the destruction in Crescent Hill and Indian Hills. So many of those big fine homes in Indian Hills amazed me as I saw places with sides of the house sheared off and all the furniture and things were untouched in the rooms.

[@RT-qd8yl]

I wish we could have news coverage of this caliber today.

[@jw870206]

Dick Gilbert, the helicopter pilot, provided lifesaving information, because he had the best vantage point of the tornado. He started out in Standiford Field’s (Louisville International Airport’s) airspace, and radioed the tower at Bowman Field for permission to enter theirs. He couldn’t get anyone on the horn for a bit, but when he did, the controller told him, “Dick, you’re the only aircraft in the air for about 100 miles. You can do anything you want.”

[@Tyrunner0097]

You couldn't have asked for a better kind of man for this situation. A retired Air Force pilot, so he was used to not only flying in bad weather, but also keeping his cool in stressful situations. Just the way he describes the tornado as it first touches down shows that. You could hear his training kicking into gear.

[@jw870206]

Guy was the Rock of Gibraltar.

[@jw870206]

Old school Flyboy.

[@christopherbubb2890]

According to the Weather Channel "When Weather Changed History" documentary, he even saw his own daughter from the helicopter and yelled at her to take cover. He probably saved his own daughter's life as well as many others. He received a presidential citation for this very coverage which was well deserved.

[@janetoconnor3636]

They got rid of local helicopter idea since 1986 but instead they are using a local Hospital coter for the traffic reports again the same pilot on every freaking AM station.

[@Johnny53kgb-nsa]

I remember this tornado outbreak from 1974, the weather technology back then wasn't all that great, and WHAS radio was a life saver for many people. Their weather and reports from Dick Gilbert and their live reports from their helicopter were life saving for many. My brother was trying to get home from the Ford plant where he worked, and was listening to WHAS radio, he had to pull over and run off the road and crawl into a drainage culvert to take cover. Unfortunately, there were many life's lost. In Ky. 71 people died, Brandenburg lost I think over 30 people, Indiana had 47 fatalities. This super outbreak covered the midwest portion of the US and into Canada. Over all the death toll was over 300 people, from an outbreak of over 148 confirmed tornados over a 2 day period. The weather technology wasn't real great back then, but, WHAS was instrumental in saving life's. Everybody was very scared, the fear this system put in people. We take the weather forecast as common place now, and we kind of expect plenty of time, we just don't realize how fortunate we are. There are many countries that don't have the luxury of the weather technology that we have nowadays. Great report.

[@npeace312]

I watched something on Brandenburg yesterday and those poor people had no warning. So many died in one small area it amazed me. So sad.

[@janblackman6204]

I live in Cullman Alabama and in 2011 Alabama lost over 250 souls. It was a horrible day. The tornadoes were so violent and some areas lost far more people than the big cities that were talked about so much.

[@xeutoniumnyborg1192]

I'm enjoying this radio series on the 1974 Super Outbreak, but what I'm really rocking are the groovy tunes that were part of this historic broadcast.

[@bw-leftturnracing7779]

I didn't know there was an earthquake during the outbreak too, that's insane

[@leedevereaux7644]

Wow!

[@KimKinzer]

Yeah, I had to snoop and found it, it was near Eldorado... wow.

[@Fitzpatrick65]

I remember this day, I was 9. That was a bad day. I know this has anything to do with the Tornado, but when I used to listen to WKLO back then. The guy that was the DJ there had lost his dog and came to my house. So my dad called the dogs owner. I don't remember the his name, but the dog was a German Shepherd. The DJ had come back the next day and brought us some album's for finding his dog and they where, Alice Cooper Billion Dollar Babies (1973) Led Zeppelin Houses of the Holy (1973) Elton John Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player (1973) Elvis Presley Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite Elvis Presley (1973)

[@tiffanyhackerspace8377]

The Courier Journal published a book of photos after, called Tornado! We lived in Indian Hills. Our house was in that book :-(

[@deborahwood7089]

Cool story!:)

[@archer1483]

I also was 9years old during this outbreak.lived in xenia

[@MrChristopherHaas]

SCORE!

[@Roz-90]

I come back and listen to this every april 3rd (and sometimes finish up listening on the 4th 😅.) I wasn't born yet, but my dad was in town when this happened. He watched the tornado go through the eastern Brownsboro road subdivisions from the roof of his dorm at Shelby campus! My mom was in Richmond at EKU, and remembers taking cover from the tornado there. I did a research paper on the outbreak in 7th grade, and have been devouring info about it ever since. I have to point out the domed building in the foreground is Presentation Academy, where I went to high school!

[@MrChristopherHaas]

May i recommend a companion video i just lucked into from Periscope films entitled 1974 SUPER OUTBREAK “ DAY OF THE KILLER TORNADOES” wherein viewer SEES the people we hear in the video from the deejay to the pilot to the weather service AND a cameraman in the studio raced upstairs to FILM THE TORNADO BEARING DOWN ON LOUISVILLE. audio from this radio broadcast used extensively, the perfect companion video

[@stevenhousewright3878]

Just so grateful this audio is available. As a native Texan our go to weatherman was none other than the great Harold Taft and his “Elisha” David Frinfrock. The calmness here on this audio is just incredible when you know on the inside they were screaming with anxiety

[@madmikemackas]

Coverage has improved so much. When people say tornado warnings and warning people about them haven’t changed should listen to this.

[@ComeWeFly]

I was almost 2. We lived in a little one-story house on Benson Way in Valley Station. My dad was a Firefighter and was at work. My mom and I sat in the hallway. It was the only place in the house that didn’t have windows. My grandfather drove a few miles in this mess to get my mom and me, but ended up staying with us because the weather got worse fast. I remember my mom gasping as we drove past Melton’s right off of Dixie Highway the next day. I have no idea if I actually remember this, but I have an image of produce smashed up outside the market.

[@daleh.7711]

"Band on the Run" and "The Show Must Go On" was playing on the radio as the tornado hit. Both of those songs will forever remind me of that day.

[@jinxthegoto]

For me it was three dog nights "pieces of April" I was going to highland junior high at the time. I was in my neighbors garage, when the tornado hit. It did sound just like a freight train. We ducked under a drafting table and the roof was ripped off above our heads but we were not hurt just scared to death! Anyway we were listening to WKLO on am when the power went off.

[@janetoconnor3636]

Yes and Hooked On A Feeling and Bennie and The Jets were the biggest hits that day. Also TSOP THE SOUND OF PHILLY and newcomer Billy Joel PIANO MAN.

[@genericfilmmaker6339]

Is anyone gonna talk about the earthquakes before and after the tornado? Did any scientists weigh in on it?

[@jdrake8738]

I lived it ... The tornado that hit Brandenburg missed me by less than 1/4 mile or so. Never forget that day...I was in 6th grade

[@davidkennedy2992]

I was 10 years old and lived off Preston Hwy-we saw it as it was hitting the fairgrounds and debris was flying through the air-we had no basement so my mom turned the couch over against an interior wall and we got under it - thank God we were spared-its a day and a sight i will never forget!

[@shellcrackerlover5889]

Dad told me he just did beat that tornado as he left the Ford Truck Plant on Westport Rd. He routinely took Interstate 71 back to the Kennedy Bridge to get home to Jeffersonville. He told me some of his buddies who weren't as lucky, had to do u-turns on 71 and run from the storm. I wasn't born until Feb of 75'.

[@indygo1963]

I remember this day being in Indiana and the total panic that happened on TV and radio. The weather service couldn’t keep up with the warnings and they placed the entire state under a tornado warning. That’s the only time in history an entire state was put under a tornado warning. We had a bearcat police scanner and listened to AM radio. Listening to this broadcast was just like listening to WIBC in Indianapolis. As a 10 year old I knew something disastrous was happening. My mom placed us in the basement for 3 to 4 hours. My grandmother calling every 15 minutes with updates. To this very day nearly 47 years later, I still pause and think about that day. This broadcast really brings back a true life memory that will never be forgotten.

[@indygo1963]

It’s hard to believe it is today April 3rd 2024. The 50 year anniversary of the deadliest most violent tornado super outbreak in US history where there were 148 tornadoes in 11 states where 7 of them were F5. All of those F5s were within a 5 hour window. $5.2 billion in damage (in todays dollars) 328 fatalities and over 5000 injured. All the tornado paths added up to 2600 miles in length. A day to remember.

[@chriscraft1334]

John Burke said "Good gracious sakes alive!".

[@Arcimedes]

Especially exceptional when you think about how unprecedented an EF5 actually is. For context, the US hasn’t had an EF5 since 2013.

[@norobbery]

Brings back many memories. All the crap hitting the fan that day makes it hard to believe the first announcer is worried that the meteorologist sounds "readerly" so he insists on a repeat to polish it up. Are you insane!

[@FoulWeatherFriend385]

Back then the goal of mainstream media was to keep the public calm above all else. Heck, up until the early 1950s American broadcasters wouldn’t even say the word “tornado” on air because it was considered too alarming. Ergo, I think the DJ was concerned about him being readerly because he didn’t want him to sound anxious which could in turn make the public more anxious. Very different when compared to the type of coverage you’d see today.

[@katesmith6250]

I was 6 when it happened. There was so much destruction.

[@joelfogelsanger5773]

Amazing coverage considering that in 1974 the technology for tracking the movement of tornadoes was very primitive compared to what we have today.

[@jw870206]

Joel Fogelsanger Picture it. Looking at a small circular screen with little blips of light, and one of them has a hook shape. You take a grease pencil and mark the echo’s location, and then wait for the next sweep and mark its new location. Then you calculate the distance between the two locations and divide it by time. You now have its speed and direction. Now imagine that for 4 or 5 or more hook echoes at a time! [Pulls hair out by the roots]

[@mikesmith8836]

Very good audio!!! I was born and grew up in Kentuckiana and was 7 when the twisters hit. Just one correction. WHAS has been on the 840 kHz frequency for decades, to include the time that this was being broadcast. Oh and Dick Gilbert is a legend. #justsaying #April1974Tornadoes

[@mikesmith8836]

+Michael Smith Can you post the audio with the music and the commercials? It brings me back. Otherwise, well done.

[@mindlessgonzo]

+Michael Smith A) Lemme log into that account, as this is a second account of mine and fix it. B) the site I obtained it from removed the music and commercials. Nothing I can do.

[@eswayne2009]

Dick Gilbert is a legend, and somewhat of a lunatic for flying a helicopter that afternoon!

[@Gail1Marie]

@@mikesmith8836 If they play the songs in their entirety (not scoped), they might have to pay royalties. Don't know about the commercials. I wonder, though, if they didn't suspend normal broadcasting once this really kicked off. If you want to listen to comparable coverage for Minneapolis/St. Paul 1965 tornadoes, go to radiotapes.com and listen to the WCCO broadcasts.

[@christopherbubb2890]

Also for those curious, WHAS-FM was 97.5 on the FM dial. They are now WAMZ, with a new-country music format.

[@lynnhamilton26]

I was 15 and just got home from school. It might have been 50 years ago, but I still remember vividly the events of that day.

[@donnabrittain210]

Fascinating. I was a teenager living in Nashville, Tennessee at the time. We had several tornadoes that evening in our area, including one that touched down a couple of miles away in south Nashville. Our power was out until the next day, and we had no idea of the destruction to the north of us-

[@MrChristopherHaas]

the same day as this louisville tornado? holy smokes

[@donnabrittain210]

@@MrChristopherHaas yes-why they called it the Super Outbreak, it definitely lived up to its name-

[@MrChristopherHaas]

@@donnabrittain210 ive now learned this, yes. Spent the better part of day looking further into it. I live in Racine, Wi and i still remember the ground rumble for, like, 10 seconds that day. and it was on the news, it started to come back to me…and family..and friends i discussed it with. You would think the doggone antichrist was born that day

[@MrChristopherHaas]

@@donnabrittain210 aye. Ill say. AND HOW.

[@npeace312]

My husband was living on Louisville at the time and remembers it. They lived at or near the seminary where his father was a student. Thankfully they, and my great aunt that lived in the area, were not hurt.

[@stevendaniel8126]

I was a student at SBTS and lived on Grinstead Ave. Lost my Apt. Maybe your father in-law was a classmate....

[@npeace312]

@@stevendaniel8126 His name is Richard Phipps.

[@malcolmmarshall5946]

I was living in Central Texas in 1974, where tornadic weather is a fact of life. We were all shocked and amazed at what happened in Kentucky and Ohio

[@lexhorton3680]

I remember sitting on our front porch as a 10-year-old kid watching black funnel clouds in the distance moving across the sky. Our house sat where the Gene Snyder westbound on-ramp is now located; in the South Park area on National Turnpike.

[@MrChristopherHaas]

aaaaaand? didnt hit you i hope

[@Legend813a]

Time marks 46:52 = 1810 local time 50:00 - Reports of earthquake. 51:17 - Radar indicates dangerous thunderstorm near Danville. 1:06:16 = 1830 local time 1:34:16 = 1900 local time Will edit this comment with others

[@carol-lb4fy]

wow! great coverage-thank you for posting. I remember it well. was a kid and neighborhood took shelter under a viaduct by the airport.

[@deborahwood7089]

15:16 "I'm goin! Goodbye!" That was chilling!

[@RagingMoon1987]

I admire how he uses the best manners he can in the heat of the moment.

[@TheLillith87]

Yes, I just learned that the man who said that was John Burke, head meteorologist at the national weather service, and was my boyfriend's great uncle...we have been together since 2007, but I never knew where my boyfriend's deep obsession with weather came from...but now I kno...and hearing his uncle on here is absolutely incredible and it warms my heart hearing this nostalgic post. Up until now, I only knew about this outbreak from my mom and dad, who were living as newlyweds in Hardinsburg, Breckinridge County, KY. That day left a very open wound in both their souls, as they were there to experience the only F-5 to strike KY in recorded history and saw firsthand the destruction it wrought...remembering their firsthand accounts today in addition to hearing this, is just a stark reminder that mother nature has a fury no one can truly understand or comprehend unless they witness it, and even then..ur left wondering how is this even possible. Wonderful reporting...

[@JimRockford853]

@@TheLillith87Does your boyfriend pronounce it as “tornada” like his great-uncle?

[@TheLillith87]

@@JimRockford853 lol no...that's a bit of an older generation thing for us that grew up inside metro Louisville

[@TheLillith87]

@@JimRockford853 lol no, but my grandparents did!

[@pastormattwells8825]

I was at the oxmoor mall, i was only 4, and was terrified because the power went out and we were advised to not leave. I don't remember much, but I will likely never forget it.

[@jw870206]

Now, anytime I hear B.J. Thomas or Sami Jo, I immediately think of the Louisville Tornado of 1974.

[@mikejohnson515]

WHAS also provided 24 hour broadcast information for Louisville during the disastrous flood of 1937.

[@BRadfrommalibu74]

And ended up relying on WSM's transmitter when the power got knocked out.

[@MrChristopherHaas]

id love to hear THAT

[@MrChristopherHaas]

it was very well covered by an old issue of Life magazine i read in library a few years back.

[@kevinvilmont6061]

Is anyone else looking for the glasses from the bank online?

[@shawnp6744]

84 WHAS saved many lives that day. Tommorow is 48 years.

[@buckeyebaptist43719]

I lived in SW Ohio the day of the tornado outbreak. We had no trouble in Middletown, Ohio, but lots of damage in Lebanon, Ohio.

[@mikejohnson515]

Right between Xenia and Cincinnati.

[@Tyrunner0097]

17:28 I wonder if at this moment, dick Gilbert was warning his daughter about the tornado. According to her, he flew the helicopter right above their house, down to 100 ft. above the ground and she could see him shouting to her, "Go into the basement" before going back to follow the storm.

[@eileenbrown3805]

my husband was at WKU that day as a freshman wind so strong we couldn't get in the dorm in bowling green

[@john8787]

I lived in valley station then. The weather was already getting wild and the sky looked like the end of the world. I was 14 , that day I rode my bike down dixie highway to a friends house behind valley station shopping center. On way a cop stopped me and asked where I was going I told him and he made go into dixie bowl to take cover.Soon it became clear to me why.

[@joesmoe71]

15:07 = "I'm GONE, goodbye!" I find that part both funny and more than a little disturbing, just shows how quickly things can turn very serious during these kinds of events.

[@kingofthepod5169]

That made it into the official documentary day of the killer tornadoes in 1978

[@jdrake8738]

My dad worked for Meade county recc...he was an electrician.....he worked at Hardinsburg ...we didn't see much of him for a long time after that day....

[@jessiedotson1557]

I lived through that day and we'll never forget it I was over off of Brownsboro Road

[@christopherbubb2890]

Interesting to hear a young Monica Pearson (nee Kaufman) here. She later became a legend in Atlanta TV and is considered a pioneer African-American broadcast journalist.

[@mickeyjackson9318]

Who cares dummy

[@paulsonj72]

She appears in another video here on KZbin. In 1977 she was anchoring when they reported on the death of Elvis Presley.

[@misswiftlore]

This was many years before I was even born but i find this so interesting

[@jeffalt2000]

I’m glad to find this. Thank you.

[@Rebel9668]

I was only 6 at the time but remember it like it was yesterday. We lived in Okalona at 8022 Oakmont Drive back then and I remember our neighbor's steel shed flying over their house and landing on a corvette parked in the road. We had a basketball goal on a used telephone pole at the back of our driveway that snapped like a twig. All the houses that were on Oakmont are long gone now, but they were brand new houses back then.

[@contrabandjoe7974]

I see that the area on Oakmont is now just a field... why did they tear down all the houses on that street?

[@terrib627]

@@contrabandjoe7974 There was a bunch of land annexed in that area for airport expansion.

[@ubuibme24]

I was there at Bellarmine College. We watched a tornado hit the baseball field and come up the hill toward us in the cafeteria. It turned a bit at the last second and hit the Tennis Center and our gym, Freedom Hall

[@briansullivan2268]

Bellarmine's gym in 1974 was Knights Hall. That's a solid 3+ miles away from Freedom Hall (their currently gym).

[@ubuibme24]

@@briansullivan2268 You are right! Freedom Hall was where the Kentucky Colonels played. The Belles played a couple of games there right before the Colonels played. One year the Colonels used our gym to practice in. . They practiced right after the girls practice. We would be shooting free throws together. That was very cool! YOu do still have a gym, right? You just don't play your games there.right? I guess it is too little to house all the fans for the games..., I am an old fart. I graduated in '77.

[@spookybass1966]

This is awesome! It’s so neat to hear radio the way I remember it then. I was 8 and in Chattanooga, TN during this. We were missed, but not by much. I remember the warnings and having the TV on all afternoon after school. We had fierce storms and I spent the afternoon on the couch with my face shoved in the cushions.

[@kykitty1988]

i was 4 yrs old and lived in louisville and i still remember the nightmare

[@famousdogtelpos]

Fascinating audio, thanks for posting

[@stevendaniel8126]

I was there..... In the path. Lived on Grinstead Ave in Crescent Hill. Lost my Apt. Heard and saw it. Can still hear it. Can't believe it's been 50 years......

[@snowdog7700]

If you visit Kentucky Kingdom that's where the Twilight Drive In was and where the tornado first touched down.

[@madmikemackas]

My mother was in this tornado. She had moved to east Louisville from Boston 2 days before the tornado hit. She had just come home from school and was walking back towards her building when the tornado was approaching. The National Guard was already Mobilized in Louisville in case such an event should occur and she told me they literally took the group of kids she was with, telling them they had no time, and threw them all into a ditch and covered them with themselves. The tornado passed about a half mile down the road but it traumatized her so badly that they moved back to Boston the next week. She didn’t speak for months. It has still affected her later in life and I remember her being very nervous about the weather, a phobia that I feel in me and I can’t but feel like it all derived from this day. What I cannot believe about this specific broadcast is how calm they tried to keep people back in the day. You can tell the approach was totally different than it would be today where they suggest everyone to get off the road and to take shelter immediately no matter where you are in the warning area. “You can hear it if it comes”

[@MrChristopherHaas]

god bless, it happened to me as well in rural Iowa. but not as close, never actually saw the tornado, just the black clouds

[@madmikemackas]

@@MrChristopherHaas still a very traumatizing event I’m sure! Who knew you’d be a witness to history?!

[@MrChristopherHaas]

@@madmikemackas 🙄

[@madmikemackas]

@@MrChristopherHaas listen, she was also in the Newnan, GA EF 4. It’s actually wild to think she was within a mile of 2 EF 4 or higher. The odds of being hit or even that close to two tornadoes that big are very small so it is amazing to me. Might be a joke to others but it changes you.

[@MrChristopherHaas]

@@madmikemackas it does. It changed me enough that, after watching one related video, i just kept going. And going. And going. And i wasnt THAT close. I was driving down hwy 80 and, within 10 minutes of driving passed Newton where the race track is one Friday morning while listening to local radio, they started talking about possible tornadoes on a mostly sunny afternoon. By the time i got to Williamsburg area there it was, a big, layered, light on top, dark on the bottom cloud. Then the hail and wicked wind. Then the siren accompanied by radio warning. Everyone pulled over in front of me and hit the ditch. So i did too. I HEARD the damn thing. The wind stopped. Luckily, aside from the usual dings from the hail dumpage, no damage. It hit behind us from what little i was able to gather when i got home hours later. So, yeah, i took youre advice lol. Also i lived in Omaha for 2 years near downtown. I could see a very wide tree stump out my window where there used to be a tree until the f5 of 1913 sheered it clear off. A daily reminder. I met alot of good people that were my age and lifetime residents who lived in Omaha when the f5 that went for miles down q street then turned down a very busy 72nd street and and just ravaged sooo much…man. Theres something about them,reserved…its hard to explain but im sure you know what im getting at in that regard. Anyhow im back in Wisconsin, Lake Michigan is 1 block away, i am safe although i have taken pictures of 4 side by side cyclones on the Lake on my way to work back in 05’. lol

[@janiterinadrum1627]

I was in the fourth grade and lived right on the other side of Northfield. It missed us.. we were lucky. But Northfield and all of Cherokee Park and Bardstown Road leveled

[@palmsofdestin1]

Amazing the editorial content and style of this versus Night Of The Living Dead.

[@johnc8175]

It is absolutely amazing where we come from to where we are today with watches and warnings from the NWS...awesome job WHAS!!!

[@corareece9078]

Beautiful piece of history!!

[@JeffreyB1983]

Worst tornado outbreak in modern history "don't get too excited" Today for any weather event: "this is the worst event ever, you could die!"

[@kimberlyweitl342]

I read they weren't even supposed to use the word "tornado" because of the fear it caused. stupid.

[@joesmoe71]

Sooooo true

[@TheDoctor1225]

Yeah. I remember watching The Weather Channel when it first had started and educated you on weather events and history. Now it's done the same thing every other channel has done - become a "reality" show based, "OH MY GOD THIS IS THE WORST THING EVER" cut/zoom/dramatic music garbage channel. Extremely disappointing :(

[@abeverly85]

Thankfully Louisville had a civil defense siren to notify the National Weather Service's tornado warning to its citizens. Thirty-one people lost their lives in Brandenburg because that city did not have a civil defense siren or National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Weather Wire Service at the time. There were a few fatalities in Louisville, but not many as Brandenburg.

[@pkranz937]

A Beverly Sirens are meant for warning those who are outdoors. They are *not* meant to warn anyone inside a building. Back in the 70s and 80s, warning lead time was usually negative. After the Nexrad system was installed, lead time is now typically 10 to 15 minutes. Advances in technology result in all manner of media used to warn those in danger. Relying on a siren is not only foolish, it's dangerous.

[@35diamondgirl]

In the communities where I've lived (since the '90s, at least), the sirens have been activated when the local weather service issued a warning, regardless of whether a tornado had been sighted on the ground. I lived in Owensboro KY when the Jan 2000 F3 tornado sliced through a busy retail district around 4:30 in the afternoon, and the sirens most certainly saved many lives. No one died that day in Owensboro, despite the unbelievable damage.

[@jw870206]

A Beverly This was the outbreak that brought more severe weather awareness to the Ohio Valley. This event also helped bring about the advent of more advanced weather radar. The NEXRAD doppler radar network that is used by the National Weather Service and the private sector continues to be an essential tool in weather observation to this day.

[@sockshandle]

@@pkranz937 and what of those people who have do not have access to TV Radio and or computers and cellphones/cell service? Cause such people exist a siren is their last resort so it is most certainly NOT foolish/Dangerous

[@UnionThugg]

@@sockshandle the sirens are intended for those who are outdoors. After the 2011 Super Outbreak, it was found that a reliance on sirens cost many individuals their lives, as power had been knocked out in many areas due to previous storms. There are many options - #1 choice should be a battery-powered NOAA Weather Radio. #2 should be a battery-powered AM/FM radio The idea that someone would not have any kind of reception for either radio is false, especially AM radio.

[@mister_bailey]

They hit us with a “Cincinnata” at 14:11. Loved hearing that. 😂

[@mikejohnson515]

On the "tornada" broadcast.

[@mister_bailey]

@@mikejohnson515 YES! 🤣 I wonder if that’s like a little bit of a Midwestern accent that’s made its way south.

[@gr8hnd10]

That was Jeff Douglas, who had a popular afternoon show on WHAS. He was my favorite DJ. Sadly, he took his own life in 1975. It made me smile when he said “Cincinnata.” It was good to hear him again. Thank you so much to the person who put this together.

[@palmsofdestin1]

Don't forget It's part of Missoura.

[@tonyb33]

I grew up in Missoura. I always told people it's pronounced Misery...

[@stormchaserkst4496]

Insane quality for 1974!

[@jordana4910]

Listening 50 years later.

[@betsysingh-anand3228]

This is fascinating to listen to.

[@alangray9117]

I remember seeing helicopter footage of the damage on Walter Cronkite. I was 8 years old lol.

[@MrChristopherHaas]

i have just found the PERFECT COMPLIMENTARY VIDEO to this entitled1974 SUPER OUTBREAK “ DAY OF THE KILLER TORNADOES” wherein you get the VISUAL of the MAN IN HELICOPTER, RADIO STATION, WEATHER SERVICE and an employee who took a camera and ran up to the roof to FILM THE LIVE TORNADO BEARING DOWN ON LOUISVILLE. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS Periscope Film!

[@kevinvilmont6061]

This helicopter pilot is the man

[@MrMullet2U]

I was 8 months old and we lived in Crestwood (Oldham Co.) My Momma said when she walked outside... The 1st thing she noticed is No Birds were singing. It was real quite out! Spooky! And the Sky was Orange! No Wind of course... Because the F5 was Sucking all the Wind up in it! Hard to believe that in just the last few years. The trees in Cherokee Park

[@MrMullet2U]

Are just now maturing... I know it hit Meade Co. / Brandenburg just as the kiddos let out of school... And the buses had already left taking kids home! Wow! So Sad! My Uncle had to pull over and jump into a ditch .... He said no way was I gonna out run that damn 🌪️ Tornado... It was Huge!

[@jamessimms415]

Amazing how far we've come in covering & forcasting tornadoes

[@DavidPigbody]

tornadas*

[@BeeHatGuy]

@@DavidPigbody tornaydah?

[@archer1483]

Wow! Mesmerised! Crazy how far we have come with safety preparation and warning times. So cool to hear this!

[@janetoconnor3636]

Its cool I supposed but NOT to me. I had to hear the sirens go off over and over again before that day I was not afraid of the sirens. I live in SW Ohio and spent most of the day in my closet taking cover. It happened u till around 11 PM at night. It had been hot and humid that day. and all the trees and bushes were like summer that had been in full bloom but come summer a bad drought.

[@archer1483]

I was 9 years old in xenia on that day as our town was being leveled, hence my amazement how far we have come in preparation and warning times

[@archer1483]

@@janetoconnor3636 I understand your Terror but for some reason it caused me to be in love with severe weather. So weird LOL

[@koolsteins]

15:14 - Bruh. He really just went NOPE!

[@tonyb33]

Thank you for this. Find myself laying down for the night listening to this. One issue that I have which of course is said and done by many many years.... When a tornado is bearing down on a major city every second of information matters. What in the hell was the guy thinking when he wanted the NWS official to repeat what he said because it sounded readerly. Other than that its a classic. In today's age we have Doppler etc that gives you a half hour warning sometimes of a tornado coming at you. Imagine having to see splotches of paint on a screen and realizing that a massive tornado leveled a town before you even saw it on the radar.

[@charlesmeadows6285]

Not to mention that we can track storms on our smartphones via weather apps.

[@dlanistheman]

I was astonished when they went to a sponsorship for home insulation services before reviewing the tornado safety reminders. Reminded me of stations that didn't switch to constant updates on 9/11

[@emmaleesmith]

My dad was in Louisville, Ky during that tornado.

[@RawOne911]

My mama told me about the 74 outbreak. We are in Radcliff

[@RobMathMiller]

The music and McDonalds commercial are surreal! That would not happen today.

[@charlesmeadows6285]

Do any one who are a native of Louisville what was the FM frequency of WHAS-FM at the time the Super Outbreak occurred?

[@erikarabie]

Anyone have an idea of what kind of microphones they were most likely using?

[@mickeyjackson9318]

Wow 147 tornadoes and an earthquake in the Midwest incredible

[@IRONHORSE11M]

If I would have been alive during this time I would definitely been scared.

[@contrabandjoe7974]

Is a "Tor-na-da" similar to a "Tor-na-do"??

[@joelfogelsanger5773]

Also Cincinnata.

[@joelfogelsanger5773]

ContraBand Joe Also Ambulancees

[@schmim1]

ContraBand Joe you know. People talk differently in different parts of the country. And they are in the middle of a bad tornado. How can you make fun of that. Do you pronounce everything perfectly ?

[@jamessimms415]

Either way, it will still kill you

[@iempire100]

relax your sphincter a little. it probably stuck out to a lot of people and brought a little chuckle. he didn't make fun of the situation at all.

[@john-u8f]

Reports indicate it is a TARNADA

[@MrChristopherHaas]

GO CORONALS! Aaron played. As i man who used to drive back and forrth from Racine wi. to Omaha NE hundreds of times over the years….ive been in my car too many times when the radio programming turned into this and ive been close a few times, close enough to bail out and hit a ditch with the other folks on the road

[@palmsofdestin1]

Wow, the technology has really changed. No wonder people used to freak out. I definitely remember the get in the southwest part of your basement thing. Problem with that is that tornadoes are spinning, so it really doesn't matter.

[@michaellindbom6597]

this is amazing.

[@bullock4211]

How come the SW corner of the basement is the safest place to shelter from a tornado as opposed to the NW, SE etc corner of the basement?

[@hurricaneomega]

It’s not. This was believed to be so because most tornadoes move northeast, and it was thought the debris would blow away from that corner. Of course tornadoes rotate as well as move forward so the wind can come from anywhere.

[@MrChristopherHaas]

the Oklahoma and Alabama broadcasts from their weathermen kept telling people to go to the MIDDLE. i noticed that too

[@881WNASNewAlbanyHS]

15:03 The tornado hits at the weather bureau

[@b3j8]

It'd be interesting to see how we'd come out here across Indiana/Ohio if this same scenario played out today. They say we could be in for an active Spring, severe weather-wise, looking at previous La Nina yrs as an indication. Geez, that's all we need!

[@klaudiaflores154]

Wow that was 45 years ago

[@patricklaurojr7427]

Lol I'm middle of a tornado emergency " this has been brought to u by Sexton lmao

[@tiffanyhackerspace8377]

Gosh. I bet Dick Gilbert could never unsee all that destruction. 31:45, what was the NorthSouth Expressway??

[@kingink1971]

That's Interstate 65

[@josephclark4999]

@@kingink1971 I can remember the term. I lived by churchill downs. All I can really remember it was in the mid to late afternoon and it rained like HELL. I was 14.

[@earlmelvin4635]

By any chance, is there any WHAS tornado coverage between 5:00 and 6:00 pm that day?

[@magicmike5879]

Yes check out this link: it’s broken up in several parts if you scroll down the page a bit. www.lkyradio.com/WHASairchecks.htm

[@zorbajevon]

Im from Louisville Kentucky. I was 2 when this happened.

[@arthurweems2839]

I was about 3, 8 days out. This was one of the biggest Weather events of almost all time. Tornado safety was a big issue of the 1970s, next to fires.

[@mattk6371]

They did a great job, though it’s clear they didn’t know what to do.

[@sturner5435]

OSHA would like to have a word with the traffic copter reporter’s bosses!🤣

[@jmromero6381]

"The horse barns are no more!" Classic.

[@npeace312]

And very sad. Growing up in KY and loving horses it makes me sad thinking of the loss of life of people and animals like horses.

[@mister_bailey]

I’m looking at the photo in the thumbnail and I want to test my sense of direction (we moved here in 2000). Is that the 800 Building on the left looking south or southwest at the tornado hitting the fairgrounds?

[@ComeWeFly]

The tall building on the left looks like the building with Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse on top.

[@kathywestdoninger6109]

800 Building, yes. Not Kaden Tower.

[@kathywestdoninger6109]

Nope

[@winko567]

am i the only one who pronounces it as LEW-WEE-VILL?

[@joelfogelsanger5773]

winko567 And it's Cincinatta.

[@joelfogelsanger5773]

winko567 And ambulencees

[@jw870206]

Luavul. Say it like you have a mouthful of marbles.

[@WeAreAllWhiteSperm]

Lul ah vull

[@tiffanyhackerspace8377]

Lol, no, but are you native or a transplant? Cuz I say Lew-wee now, but said Loo-uh in my earlier days 😂🤣😅 before I realized that was local dialect! (I'm native.)

[@larnadurham5759]

I sprain my ankle running down stairs to watch news out of Louisville had to go to ER next day. Scared to go the night of these tornadoes came through Madison County. It was terrible, I’ll never forget it.

[@joelfogelsanger5773]

A Tornada