Temperatures are slowly on the rise and storm systems are looking more and more like all rain instead of snow for southern Wisconsin. The same winter weather pattern is still holding on across the country while shifting only a few hundred miles northward bringing mild air to the Midwest. The winter upper air pattern I am referring to was a La Nina Pacific Ocean pattern, and history has shown that major severe weather patterns can break out during the spring and summer after this type of winter weather pattern has been in place.

There are many severe weather outbreaks that have occurred following this type of winter, but one huge event comes to mind since we have just passed the anniversary date. On April 3-4 in 1974 a major swarm of tornadoes developed, and devastation was so widespread that it has been dubbed the Super Outbreak of Tornadoes.

During the two day event one hundred and forty-eight twisters developed from mainly the Mississippi River to the Atlantic Ocean and from the Great Lakes to the Gulf Coast. Six of those were mammoth F-5 tornadoes, while fifty-eight twisters were in the strong category of F-3 and F-4.

In all, 315 people lost their lives while more than five thousand were injured or hospitalized. The town of Xenia in Ohio was totally destroyed