It was 44 years ago that a devastating EF-4 tornado developed on the west side of Emporia. In its path, six people were killed, more than 200 people were hurt and both Flinthills Mall and Lincoln Village sustained major damage.
At that time, the National Weather Service was still learning about the elements that go into forming those deadly tornadoes. That day, June 8, 1974, it was low-level shear, an aspect of severe thunderstorms that was almost unheard of then. National Weather Service meteorologist Chad Omitt says these days that’s now seen as essential to tornado development.
Omitt says in the 1970s and even into the 1980s it was common for warnings to be issued after reports were received into the weather service that a tornado was on the ground. That was the result of limitations to radar and its network of weather spotters. Omitt says now they can often predict these types of storms well in advance.
June 8 is not only a bad day historically for weather in Emporia, but also in Topeka where, in 1966, an EF-5 tornado touched down, killing 16 people and leaving 450 people injured.
Photos courtesy the National Weather Service in Topeka showing the devastation from the June 8, 1974 tornado below.
