Tornado, McDowell
- When
- April 4, 2:05 AM CST
- Where
- McDowell County
- Rating
- F1
- Path width
- 33 yd
- Property damage
- $2.5 million
- Coordinates
- 37.380, -81.550
Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in West Virginia, April 4, 1974
8 tornado, 2 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 32
- Property damage
- $13 million
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 10
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
Event by event
8 tornado, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Tornado, Wyoming
- When
- April 4, 2:16 AM CST
- Where
- Wyoming County
- Rating
- F1
- Path length
- 4.9 mi
- Path width
- 33 yd
- Injuries
- 9 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $2.5 million
- Coordinates
- 37.570, -81.450
Tornado, Raleigh
- When
- April 4, 2:20 AM CST
- Where
- Raleigh County
- Rating
- F3
- Path length
- 9.2 mi
- Path width
- 33 yd
- Injuries
- 12 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $2.5 million
- Coordinates
- 37.670, -81.270
Tornado, Raleigh
- When
- April 4, 2:26 AM CST
- Where
- Raleigh County
- Rating
- F3
- Path length
- 3.3 mi
- Path width
- 33 yd
- Coordinates
- 37.800, -81.020
Tornado, Fayette
- When
- April 4, 2:30 AM CST
- Where
- Fayette County
- Rating
- F3
- Path length
- 10.8 mi
- Path width
- 33 yd
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Injuries
- 8 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $2.5 million
- Coordinates
- 37.830, -80.970
Thunderstorm Wind, Raleigh
- When
- April 4, 2:30 AM CST
- Where
- Raleigh County
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Coordinates
- 37.780, -81.180
Tornado, Greenbrier
- When
- April 4, 2:40 AM CST
- Where
- Greenbrier County
- Rating
- F3
- Path length
- 18.1 mi
- Path width
- 33 yd
- Injuries
- 3 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $2.5 million
- Coordinates
- 37.900, -80.780
Thunderstorm Wind, Mercer
- When
- April 4, 2:50 AM CST
- Where
- Mercer County
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph)
- Coordinates
- 37.270, -81.220
Tornado, Summers
- When
- April 4, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Summers County
- Rating
- F0
- Path width
- 33 yd
- Property damage
- $3,000
- Coordinates
- 37.670, -80.920
Tornado, Barbour
- When
- April 4, 3:25 AM CST
- Where
- Barbour County
- Rating
- F1
- Path width
- 33 yd
- Coordinates
- 37.770, -81.170
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tornado, Fayette | 1974-04-04 | Direct |
What these are
- Tornado
- A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
More
Every storm in West Virginia in 1974Every state in 1974This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for West Virginia, 1974
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10145536, 10145537, 10145538, 10145539, 10145540, 10145541, 10145542, 10145543, 10145544, 10145545.