6), IL (1) — 10

lornajarrettblanchard April 27, 1071

–11 Ferrara, Grace M. The Disaster File: The 1970’s. New York: Facts on File, 1979, p. 77.
–11 UPI. “11 Killed; 100 Injured as Tornadoes Hit Region.” Kingsport News, TN. 4-29-1971, p. 1.
–10 Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 1123.
–10 Blanchard tally of named fatalities (nine in KY and one in IL).

Illinois ( 1)
— 1 AP. “Illinois’ Top Headlines.” The Daily Gazette, Sterling-Rock Falls, IL. 4-28-1971, p. 7.
–1 Thompsonville. Female, 71. Mt. Vernon Register-News. “Tornado…” 4-28-1971, p1.
— 1 Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 1123.

Illinois and Kentucky: (10)
–10 Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 1123.

Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee: (11)
–11 Ferrara, Grace M. The Disaster File: The 1970’s. New York: Facts on File, 1979, p. 77.

Kentucky: ( 9)
–10 AP. “Ten Persons Are Dead…South Central [KY]…Tornadoes.” Harlan Daily Enterprise, 4-28-1971, 1.
–5-6 Adair County
–2 Mr. and Mrs. Dewey Smith, 60s, at their home 2½ miles from Columbia.
–2 Mrs. Roby McCarol, 27 and daughter Ruth Ann McCarol, 7, near Columbia.
–1 Mrs. Anna Cundiff, 70, near Columbia.
–2-3 Butler-Warren County area. (The AP article names one fatality.)
–1 Mrs. Love Cockerell, near Morgantown.
— 1 Died at Louisville General Hospital
— 2 Russell County
–2 Mr. and Mrs. Bulan Swanson, Salem home destroyed.
— 1 South Hill, Wendell T. Peay, 50, flung into a tree when he exited his truck.
— 9 Blanchard tally of named fatalities.
— 9 Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 1123.
–1 Muhlenberg/Butler/Warren counties, 19:20 F3 tornado.
–6 Green/Adair counties, 20:20 F4 tornado; Mount Pleasant Church area.
–2 Russell/Pulaski counties, 21:53 F4 tornado; Gosser Ridge farm.
— 9 National Weather Service, Louisville, KY Weather Forecast Office
— 9 UPI. “Nunn Asks Nixon to Hurry Disaster Aid to State…” Middlesboro Daily News, KY, 4-29-1971, 1.
— 8 Environmental Data Service, NOAA. Storm Data. Asheville, NC: Vol. 13, No. 4, April 1971.
–6 Mount Pleasant Church vicinity, Adair County
–2 Gosser Ridge community, Russell County

Narrative Information

EDS Storm Data: “Hopkins, McLean & Ohio Counties…27 [Apr]…5:45 p.m. …347 [length of path, miles]…? [killed]…Tornado, wind, hail.

“State police reported that a tornado destroyed 2 barns in the vicinity of Slaughters, northern Hopkins County; reported trees down in the area of Sacramento, McLean County, about 12 miles to the east-southeast; a news report quoted a witness 2 miles west of Sacramento as having seen a funnel cloud passing high in the sky. There was considerable hail damage at Sacramento, where car windows and the windows of a church were broken. At 6:26 p.m. C.S.T., a radar report indicated a strong thunderstorm in this area, a rotating cell with a top at 53,000 feet and moving toward the east-southeast at 45 m.p.h. Damage at Prentiss, Ohio County, and east-southeast of Sacramento may have been a third touchdown of the funnel (touchdown time not available). A funnel was observed to touch down at Prentiss, damaging a home. A barn was demolished on an adjacent farm.” (April 1971, p. 45).
….
“Green and Adair Counties…27 [Apr]…8:30 p.m. 15 [length of path in miles]…17-200 [width of path in yards]…6 [killed]…58 [injured]…Tornado, wind, hail.

“The funnel, travelling toward the east-southeast, apparently touched down for the first time in the Bramlett area on the southeastern border of Green County about 8:30 p.m. C.S.T. There were no injuries. One home and one mobile home were destroyed. The storm then moved to about 3½ miles north of Columbia, Adair County, staying on the ground a good part of the time. In the vicinity of Mount Pleasant Church on the Holmes Bend Road (Highway 551) 6 persons died as the tornado demolished a number of homes at about 8:35 p.m. C.S.T. The storm continued its eastward movement, occasionally lifting and then touching down again, touching down at Vester and then at Christine at 8:40 p.m. C.S.T., injuring some persons and destroying a number of buildings. Reports indicated path width varying from 50 to 600 feet. A witness just west of Vester stated that he saw the funnel pass directly over his house, that thee lower tip of the funnel was several feet in width at that location, then dip down about 200 feet to the east to strike a neighbor’s home; several of the occupants were seriously injured and the home was lifted across the road and demolished. People along the path of the storm stated that hailstones varied in size from goose egg to baseball. Officials stated that in Adair County 6 persons were killed, that 15 persons were hospitalized, that 43 persons suffered minor injuries. Dollar value property damage was no available but preliminary surveys indicated: 50 houses destroyed; 50 houses with major damage; 3 mobile homes destroyed; 3 churches destroyed; 33 barns destroyed; 100 other buildings destroyed. Additionally many utility lines and trees were downed.

“Kentucky (continued). Russell and Pulaski Counties…27 [Apr]…9:53 p.m. …14 [length of path in miles]…100+ [injured]…2 [killed]…72 [injured]…Tornado.

“The initial touchdown apparently occurred just east of the Adair-Russell counties border before 9:53 p.m. C.S.T, An aerial photograph indicated the path width here as about 70 yards. This location is about 2 miles north of Russell Springs, Russell County, on Highway 127. The funnel apparently moved east-southeastward from this point on, dipping down occasionally and then lifting. East of the first touchdown spot other damage indicated a touchdown on Highway 80 about 3 miles east of Russell Springs. This was near a roadside park where two distinct paths a quarter-mile apart were visible from an aircraft. The path farthest east contained more severe damage that the path closer to Russel Springs. The funnel then moved eastward, dipped down to damage several houses on Highway 910 as it approached Salem School. A number of persons were injured in the Salem School area as a number of houses were destroyed, and the school suffered severe damage (preliminary estimate, $150,000). At this point an aerial photograph indicated a path width of about 300 yards. The funnel then stayed on the same eastward path as it moved through the nearby Gosser Ridge community where two persons died as their home and most of the buildings on their farm were destroyed. There were additional homes destroyed and additional injuries. Officials stated that the casualties in Russel County consisted of the two fatalities and about 70 persons injured. Dollar damage figures were not available but officials indicated the following property damage estimates for Russell County: 35 hours destroyed;; major damage to 105 homes; 3 mobile homes destroyed; 60 barns destroyed; 79 other buildings destroyed. Additionally many utility lines and trees were downed. A news report stated that alone one part of the tornado path in Russell County chickens were stripped of their feathers, but left alive. The funnel apparently continued eastward into Pulaski County, wherein the Faubush community two persons were injured, several buildings were damaged or destroyed, and one mobile home was destroyed.” (Storm Data. Asheville, NC: Vol. 13, No. 4, April 1971.)

Ferrara: “11 die in U.S. tornadoes. At least five tornadoes lashed through Kentucky, Illinois and Tennessee April 27-28, leaving 11 persons known dead and more than 100 others injured. The heaviest damage was inflicted in Kentucky, where three tornadoes killed 10 people. Butler’s Creek, three miles north of Columbus, Ky., reported six casualties and at least 40 injured.” (Ferrara, Grace M. The Disaster File: The 1970’s. New York: Facts on File, 1979, p. 77.)

Grazulis: “IL APR 27, 1971 1543 lk 20inj 200y 5m F3. FRANKLIN—Moved E from 4m W of Thompsonville to town. Eight homes were destroyed. Three commercial buildings and five trailers were also destroyed. Three businesses, 17 homes, and three trailers had major damage. An elderly woman was killed in a frame home….

KY APR 27, 1971 1920 lk 20inj 150y 30m F3. MUHLENBERG, BUTLER, WARREN — Skipped ESE from 4m E of Drakesville, to near Ennis, South Hill, and Riverside. A six-room, brick veneer home was completely destroyed, as were several large trailers. There were two injuries in one, and a death in another. Many homes sustained damage….

“KY Apr 27, 1971, 2030, 6k, 58inj., 100y, 15m, F4, Green/Adair – Moved ESE from Bramlett, passing 3m NE of Columbia, to Vester and Christine. Six people were killed when the tornado demolished a number of homes in the Mount Pleasant Church area on Hwy-551. A total of 51 homes, 33 barns, three churches, four trailers and 100 other buildings were destroyed, and 50 more had major damage.” (Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 1123.)

“KY APR 27, 1971 2153 2k 72inj 200y 14m F4 RUSSELL/PULASKI—Moved E from east of Russell Springs, to Salem, and to Faubush. At Gosser Ridge, two people were killed on a farm as most of the buildings were swept away. Along the path, 35 homes, four trailers, 60 barns, and 79 other buildings were destroyed. There was major damage to 105 more homes. The Salem School was damaged. At one point, there were two distinct paths, as two funnels moved parallel to one another.” (Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 1123.)

National Weather Service: “On this day, 6 twisters moved across southern Indiana and central Kentucky, killing 9. Six of those lives were taken as an F4 ripped through the vicinity of Mt. Pleasant Church, a few miles northeast of Columbia in Adair County. 2 more lives were taken in Russell County, as another F4 tore a path of destruction through Gosser Ridge. An F3 tornado killed one person as it moved through Butler and Warren Counties. Along the nearly 30 mile path, a six-room brick house was destroyed, along with several large trailers.” (National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, Louisville, KY. “23. April ’71 Outbreak April 27, 1971.” Top 25 Weather Events of All-Time in Central Kentucky and Southern Indiana. 3-4-2010 update.)

Newspaper

Apr 28, KY: “Columbia, Ky. (AP) – Ten persons were killed and more than 75 were injured when hit-and-run tornadoes ravaged a wide area of south-central Kentucky late Tuesday, the National Weather Service reported. State Police said damage would run into millions of dollars…. ‘It looks as if there are eight to 10 fatalities and this is a conservative estimate,’ a [KY governor] spokesman said. One death as a result of the tornadoes was reported at Louisville General Hospital. Five persons were reported dead in Adair County. Six persons were reported dead in Adair County. Two were killed in Russell County and ‘two or three’ fatalities were reported in the Butler-Warren County area about 80 miles west of here, the Weather Service said.

“A 75-bed emergency aid station was being set up at Adair County High School here.

“State Police said at least 25 persons were injured in Russell County, adjacent to Adair on the southeast. William L. Walker, civil defense director in Adair County, said about 40 injuries were reported in his area.

“The hospital at Somerset, to the east, said 32 persons were treated and 10 were admitted. At Bowling Green, between the damaged areas, the hospital was put on disaster status and at least 18 persons were admitted. ‘I was there when the bodies were picked up,’ said Walker in Columbia. ‘One body was blown 300 feet from a house. It was a woman. ‘Another body, a woman, was blown about 100 feet away and there was a child blown from a house at another place.’

“Walker said he heard the volunteer fire department siren about 10 p.m. EDT and with other volunteers answered it. Hail and heavy rain were falling at the time, he said.

“Just outside Columbia, the Mount Pleasant Christian Church was swept from its foundation atop a hill. Eight or 10 houses were destroyed and others were heavily damaged in Columbia, he said.

“In Russell Springs, 13 miles east of Columbia, the lights went out about midnight, amid high winds and a thunder and lightning storm, said Mrs. Andrew Norfleet, wife of a weekly newspaper publisher.

“At Greensburg, 20 miles northwest of Columbia, the tornadoes have ‘done more damage than I’ve ever seen,’ said Cary Eaton, the Green County Civil Defense director. He said the twister wiped out houses and barns, but said he knew of no fatalities there.

“In the Russell County community of Salem, he said, two persons were literally blown from their houses. ‘It was definitely a twister,’ he said. ‘It would hit one house, then skip a house or garage, then move on to another. One trailer was blown abut a quarter mile and landed on the same side of the highway where it had been parked before,’ he said. Eaton said one mobile home at Salem ‘just disappeared.’ Eaton said the houses ‘seemed more like they had been hit by an explosion. Windows were blown out. Doors were blown off. ‘It was just like a huge vacuum cleaner sucking up everything in sight. ‘In Russell County, for example, some chickens even lost their feathers – and they were still alive.’ Eaton said automobiles would up in trees in Adair and Russell counties, ‘hanging there like Christmas ornaments. And we even found some Christmas ornaments in trees,’ he said.

“Larry Van Hoose, the governor’s press secretary, said in the South Hill-Riverside area northwest of Bowling Green, ‘there is an area 6 miles long and 1½ miles wide of destruction. Everything. The trees are gone.’ The worst area, Van Hoose said, was three miles north of Columbia at the junction of Kentucky routes 55 and 551. Over a stretch of 10 to 12 miles, he said, five were known dead and 25 to 30 persons were injured….In Somerset, up to four feet of water was reported from the rain that accompanied the twisters.

“The National Weather Service said there apparently were three separate tornadoes, operating in three separate areas. The first touched down near South Hill, northwest of Bowling Green, about 10 p.m. EDT, then skipped on to Riverside and Reedyville. ‘Two or three fatalities, numerous injuries and extensive property damage’ was reported there, the Weather Service said.

“The second hit Adair and Casey counties. It first struck at Cane Valley and ‘apparently remained on the ground for a considerable time as it moved eastward to near Pellyton on the Casey-Adair line,’ the Weather Service said. Numerous injuries and five fatalities were attributed to this tornado. Civil Defense officials asked for 75 cots to set up the emergency aid station at Adair County High School. Massive property damage was reported.

“The third area was near Salem in northern Russell County.

“Before the tornadoes hit, there had been reports from areas of Central Kentucky that hail ranging p to golf ball size was falling. There had been numerous reports of uprooted trees and minor wind damage before the twisters started….

“Officials listed these victims:
–Mr. and Mrs. Dewey Smith, in their late 60s, killed when their home 2½ miles from
Columbia was blown away.
–Mr. and Mrs. Bulan Swanson, killed when the tornado destroyed their home at Salem.
–Wendell T. Peay, 50, killed at South Hill. State Police said he was smashed against a tree
when he got out of his truck during the storm. Officers said his wife suffered a broken
neck when she tried to help him.
–Douglas Frodge, 7, of near Columbia.
–Ruth Ann McCarol, 7, of near Columbia.
–Mrs. Roby McCarol, 27, the McCarol girl’s mother. Her husband and son were
hospitalized in Louisville.
–Mrs. Anna Cundiff, 70, of near Columbia.
–Mrs. Love Cockerell of near Morgantown.”

(Associated Press. “Ten Persons Are Dead…South Central Kentucky Raked by Killer Tornadoes.” Harlan Daily Enterprise, 4-28-1971, p. 1.)

Apr 28, IL: “Thompsonville, Ill. (AP) – A tornado has swept the Southern Illinois farming community of Thompsonville, leaving one person dead, at least 20 injured and most of the town’s 400 residents.” (Associated Press. “Illinois’ Top Headlines.” The Daily Gazette, Sterling-Rock Falls, IL. 4-28-1971, p. 7.)

Apr 29, KY: “Russell Springs, KY. (UPI)….Nine…Kentuckians…were left dead in the woke of the twisters which thundered across a five-county rural area and caused millions of dollars damage. The toll was revised downward because one woman, first reported as dying from the tornadoes, later was listed as a victim of natural causes….” (United Press International. “Nunn Asks Nixon to Hurry Disaster Aid to State Area.” Middlesboro Daily News, KY, 4-29-1971, p. 1.)

Sources

Associated Press. “Illinois’ Top Headlines.” The Daily Gazette, Sterling-Rock Falls, IL. 4-28-1971, p. 7. Accessed 3-1-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/sterling-daily-gazette-apr-28-1971-p-7/

Associated Press. “Ten Persons Are Dead…South Central Kentucky Raked by Killer Tornadoes.” Harlan Daily Enterprise, 4-28-1971, p. 1. Accessed 3-1-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/harlan-daily-enterprise-apr-28-1971-p-1/

Edwardsville Intelligencer, IL. “Thompsonville.” 4-29-1971, p. 7. Accessed 3-1-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/edwardsville-intelligencer-apr-29-1971-p-7/

Environmental Data Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. Storm Data. Asheville, NC: Vol. 13, No. 4, April 1971. Accessed 3-1-2022 at: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-B4E5204C-595E-4413-99B2-48A48AADFE4A.pdf

Ferrara, Grace M. The Disaster File: The 1970’s. New York: Facts on File, 1979.

Grazulis, Thomas P. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, VE: Environmental Films, 1993, 1,326 pages.

Mt. Vernon Register-News, IL “Tornado Rips Thompsonville” 4-28-1971, p1. Accessed 3-1-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/mount-vernon-register-news-apr-28-1971-p-1/

National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, Louisville, KY. Top 25 Weather Events of All-Time in Central Kentucky and Southern Indiana. 3-4-2010 update accessed at: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lmk/?n=top_20_weather_events

United Press International. “11 Killed; 100 Injured as Tornadoes Hit Region.” Kingsport News, TN. 4-29-1971, p. 1. Accessed 3-1-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/kingsport-news-apr-29-1971-p-1/

United Press International. “Nunn Asks Nixon to Hurry Disaster Aid to State Area.” Middlesboro Daily News, KY, 4-29-1971, p. 1. Accessed 3-1-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/middlesboro-daily-news-apr-29-1971-p-1/