AP Was There: A 1974 tornado in Xenia, Ohio, kills 32 and levels half the city

The Associated Press

XENIA, Ohio (AP) — On April 3, 1974, a deadly tornado barreled through Xenia, Ohio. It killed 32 people, injured hundreds and leveled half the city of 25,000. Nearby Wilberforce was also hit hard. As the Watergate scandal unfolded in Washington, President Richard Nixon made an unannounced visit to Xenia to tour the damage. Xenia’s was the deadliest and most powerful tornado of the 1974 Super Outbreak. The series of 148 twisters touched down in 13 states over 24 hours. The outbreak is the second worst in U.S. history. It prompted improvements to both state and federal weather warning systems.