1974 Guin tornado

The 1974 Guin tornado was a powerful and fast moving tornado that moved across northeast portions of Alabama, hitting several towns along a 79.5 miles (127.9 km) path and devastating the town of Guin during the evening hours of April 3, 1974. The tornado would receive a rating of F5 on the Fujita scale, and was one of seven tornadoes to obtain that rating as part of the 1974 Super Outbreak. A lot of structures in the tornado were swept away, and some reportedly had their "foundations dislodged, and in some cases swept away as well."

The tornado first touched down in eastern Mississippi before crossing state lines into Alabama. It would move to the northeast while retaining a low intensity, but would rapidly intensify as it neared the town of Guin. The tornado would obliterate many brick buildings in Guin and would kill twenty-three residents before exiting the town, which was left in ruins. The tornado would produce extreme damage as it moved over forests and other rural areas; this damage was visible from satellite imagery that was conducted after the outbreak. The tornado would dissipate over an hour and a half after touching down while reaching a maximum width of 1,350 yards (1,230 m).

The tornado was so powerful that Ted Fujita considered assigning the tornado an F6 rating; the tornado was eventually rated by Fujita as "F5+".