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'Mr. Tornado' Features 1974 Super Outbreak That Hit Xenia, Cincinnati

mr. tornado ted fujita
Courtesy of PBS
'Mr. Tornado' Ted Fujita.

The 1974 "Super Outbreak" of tornadoes devastated Xenia and also hit Cincinnati - particularly Sayler Park - hard. The powerful series of storms that caused damage from the the U.S. South to the Great Lakes, also drew in influential severe weather researcher Ted Fujita, who had earned the moniker, "Mr. Tornado" for his groundbreaking work in the field.

The "F-Scale" associated with tornadoes (and now known as the EF-Scale), was his creation and is named for him.

The remarkable man is now the feature of the next installment of the PBS series American Experience, in a film aptly titled Mr. Tornado.

The film details Fujita's early life in World War II Japan where he researched the devastation of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and how he applied similar methods to weather events, particularly tornadoes, and later, airline disasters. It also profiles the 1974 outbreak, including the impact on Xenia and Cincinnati.

Joining Cincinnati Edition to talk about Mr. Tornado is the film's writer, producer and director Michael Rossi.

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Michael Monks brings a broad range of experience to WVXU-FM as the host of Cincinnati Edition, Cincinnati Public Radio's weekday news and information talk show.