April 3, 1974 -- The 1974 Xenia tornado was a violent, large and extremely powerful F5 tornado that destroyed a large portion of Xenia and Wilberforce,\on the afternoon of April 3, 1974.The 1974 Xenia tornado is considered to be one of the worst tornados in American history, and is the reason for improved warning systems, alarms, and safety protocols throughout the United States. Despite Ohio being better equipped for a tornadic disaster than many other states, a survey team from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) found the lack of tornado sirens to be one of the leading causes of unpreparedness. It was one of two tornadoes to be assigned a preliminary F6 rating by Dr. Ted Fujita, the other being the 1970 Lubbock tornado; however, the rating was later downgraded to an F5. Didja know?  The 1974 Xenia tornado was the deadliest individual tornado of the 1974 Super Outbreak, a 24-hour period between April 3 and April 4, 1974, during which 148 tornadoes touched down in 13 different U.S. states.