On this day only 2 years ago, the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Virginia were hit by a Super Outbreak. For the next three days, 358 confirmed tornadoes, four of which were ranked as F5, wrecked havoc. The storm system produced winds in excess of 250mph and hail 4.5 inches in diameter. Over 340 people were killed and the cost in material damage topped $11 billion.
Tornado outbreaks are a fact of life for many in the Continental United States (official tornado forecasts didn't begin until 1940). They are ranked separately from lone tornadoes. However, the phrase Super Outbreak wasn't used until April 3 1974, when over 140 different tornadoes raged across 13 states for 18 hours. The 2011 Super Outbreak was the most powerful storm system to hit the United States since the Tupola-Gainsville Outbreak of 1936. Though more people died in 2011, the 1974 storm system still holds the record for the most F5 tornadoes generated at one time: 30.
More than 2,000 National Guard troops were deployed in Alabama alone to clean up the mess. The troops found power relay towers, which stand almost 130 feet high, "twisted like bow ties."
