1974 Tanner tornadoes

In the evening hours of April 3, 1974, a series of two large and destructive tornadoes impacted the small town of Tanner, located in the state of Alabama. Both of these tornadoes would receive an F5 rating on the Fujita scale, and were two out of seven F5-rated tornadoes to touch down as part of the 1974 Super Outbreak, one of the largest tornado outbreaks in United States history. Each of the tornadoes claimed over fifteen lives, and would kill a combined total of fifty-five people, many in the Tanner area; over four hundred more would be injured. The first tornado would touch down in Lawrence County, moving towards Mt. Moriah. As the tornado passed over the town, it hit a home and killed six people. The tornado would continue to produce extreme damage as it moved to the northeast, ripping water pumps out of the ground and obliterating large objects. The tornado would then cross the Tennessee River as a waterspout, before hitting Tanner. The town was devastated, with many structures in the area completely destroyed and the ground near Tanner being scoured. The tornado would lift seventy-three minutes after forming, leaving behind a trail of destruction.

The second tornado would touch down a short time later, traveling parallel to the previous tornado before hitting the southern portions of Tanner, killing several people. Many of the structures in Tanner that had survived the first tornado would be destroyed by the second one. It would continue to move to the northeast, striking the communities of Capshaw, Harvest and Hazel Green before lifting. It would kill sixteen, injure almost two hundred others, and was on the ground for over an hour.

Tanner was particularly devastated by both tornadoes. While rescue and recovery efforts were underway in Tanner in the immediate aftermath of the first tornado, the second tornado would cause more destruction in the town. Over 1,000 buildings sustained some level of damage from the tornadoes, and an estimated 200 mobile homes were obliterated as the tornadoes moved by. The majority of tornadic injuries in Alabama on April 3 were caused by both tornadoes.