West Virginia was one of 13 states affected by the so-called “Super Outbreak” of tornadoes on April 3-4 in 1974. Over a 24-hour period, 148 tornadoes formed across 13 states, including the disaster in Xenia, Ohio, the deadliest vortex of the Super Outbreak. Strong winds and abundant moisture helped maintain and fuel numerous thunderstorm squall lines, which formed ahead of a low-pressure storm system over the Great Lakes, with an associated cold front located in the Mississippi River Valley.

Southeastern West Virginia sustained notable damage on the morning of Thursday, April 4, when the outbreak crossed over from western Virginia. In the dark, between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m., a few tornadoes raced northeast across McDowell, Wyoming, Raleigh, Fayette, Summers, and Greenbrier counties. They touched down intermittently, a typical pattern for West Virginia. There was one fatality, and between 32 and 40 citizens were injured.

One of the first paths cut across the Guyandotte River near Mullens, located downriver from Pineville. The tornado then traveled toward Twin Falls Resort State Park in Wyoming County. In the wake of its path, at least 15 homes were destroyed, many more sustained significant damage, and several people were injured. The nearby mountainside afterward appeared as though it had been clear-cut due to downed trees, some of which fell on vehicles in the state park.

A stronger tornado moved from Coal City toward the Daniels / Shady Springs vicinity in Raleigh County, resulting in more property damage and injuries. One Coal City man was hurt when his mobile home overturned. Another couple survived when their trailer was lifted off its blocks and spun around by high winds. Many Coal City buildings were damaged. One Shady Spring resident said: “I was in World War II and saw ruins from bombings, but I never thought I’d see ruins almost like that here.” This tornado was given a rating of F3. In the updated enhanced Fujita Scale, the damage would likely be rated an EF3, with winds near 140 mph.

Another tornado, also rated F3/EF3 afterwards, became known as the Meadow Bridge Tornado in Fayette County. It destroyed more than 50 homes and blew off sections of the town's high school’s roof. A three-year-old girl was killed in Meadow Bridge when her family’s mobile home was leveled to a pile of mangled metal and debris. Nearly two dozen residents were injured. The path of this tornado ended near Williamsburg in Greenbrier County, where houses were damaged and a barn destroyed.

Damage also occurred at the Honey in the Rock Motel and the In-Town Motor Court trailer park in Beckley, likely from the same parent storm that hit Meadow Bridge moments later. Separate tornadoes, with minor damage, were also reported near Hinton and near Gary.

These predawn tornadoes across southern West Virginia in 1974 dismiss the falsehoods that tornadoes do not occur in mountainous terrain and that our mountains completely protect us from them.