March 1875 Southeast tornado outbreak


The March 1875 Southeast tornado outbreak was a deadly tornado outbreak that affected portions of the Southern United States from March 19 to 20, 1875. At least nineteen tornadoes were recorded, including seven that were destructive enough to be rated F4 by Thomas P. Grazulis. The worst damage and most of the deaths occurred in Georgia. Most of the damage appears to have been the result of two tornado families that moved along parallel paths apart through parts of Georgia and South Carolina. In all, this outbreak killed at least 96 people and injured at least 367.

List of tornadoes

F#LocationCounty / ParishStateStart
coord.		DateTime Path lengthMax widthSummary
F3Between Lone Grove and Ray's PointWinnLA02003 deaths – A tornado splintered several thousand trees and destroyed six homes in sparsely populated areas. All deaths were in one family.
F4SW of Hamilton to E of ShilohHarris, TalbotGA152011+ deaths – This was the first member in the northernmost of two major tornado families. Touching down in southwest Harris County, the "massive" tornado devastated rural plantations and forests in its path. It completely leveled several plantations and farms, with five deaths on one of them. Up to 15 deaths may have occurred in Harris County alone, but were unconfirmed. Winds from the parent supercell transferred a hat aloft for and a book for.
F3E of Thomastown to S of ForsythUpson, Lamar, MonroeGA1600This tornado formed from the dissipation of the previous event, but was in the same tornado family. People first sighted a funnel cloud developing over Thomastown, but it did not touch down until east of town. Once on the ground, the tornado "changed shape continuously."
F?S of Statesville to S of MocksvilleIredell, DavieNC1600This may have been a tornado, a downburst or a combination of the two.
F4N of Columbus to N of TalbottonMuscogee, Harris, TalbotGA16309 deaths – This was the first tornado in the southernmost of the two tornado families. Described as a "large and intense" tornado, it destroyed the village of "Mt. Airy" in the southeast corner of Harris County, killing six people in one home. Winds propelled a board from the home into the stump of a broken pine tree. The tornado destroyed more homes and an academy in or near Baughville in Talbot County, killing three people.
F3N of GrayJones, PutnamGA16501 death – This tornado struck only three farms, but demolished all of them.
F4NW of Sparta, GA to S of Edgefield, SCHancock, Warren, McDuffie, Columbia, Edgefield GA, SC174028+ deaths – See section on this tornado
F4S of Gray to E of MilledgevilleJones, BaldwinGA175013+ deaths – This tornado produced a "devastating" swath of damage near Milledgeville, with four deaths in Jones County and nine or more in Baldwin County. Residents of Milledgeville mistook the tornado for a column of smoke from a fire. When surveyors of the U.S. Army Signal Corps arrived three weeks later, a child was still unaccounted for and "presumed dead."
F4ESE of Sparta to S of GibsonHancock, Washington, Glascock, JeffersonGA18308+ deaths – This tornado caused eight deaths in Glascock County, but according to newspapers, the actual toll may have been 30. Some deaths in Hancock County attributed to the Sparta–Edgefield tornado may actually have been from this tornado.
F4W of Keysville, GA to Williston, SC areaJefferson, Burkek, Richmond, Aiken, Barnwell GA, SC19006+ deaths – This tornado was likely a series of tornadoes and downbursts. It narrowly missed Augusta, passing southeast of that city before crossing the Savannah River into South Carolina. The tornado critically damaged or razed about 40 homes in Richmond County alone. The tornado left so much debris on farms that they were abandoned. As many as eight people may have died.
F4Opelika, AL area to Whitesville, GA areaLee, Chambers, Harris AL, GA19307 deaths – This may have been a multiple-vortex tornado that killed seven people in a single family. This was the last violent tornado to impact Lee County until March 3, 2019.
F3SW of ColumbiaLexingtonSC19552 deaths – This tornado wrecked five or more farms in its path.
F3N of Sumter, SC to Tabor City, NC areaSumter, Lee, Florence, Marion, Horry, Columbus SC, NC20306 deaths – This tornado family produced a damage swath that varied from to almost wide, with several entire plantations wrecked. The tornado downed or split "tens of thousands" of trees and destroyed buildings on more than 40 farms.
F?W of RaleighChatham, WakeNC2200Another tornado or downburst dissipated about west of Raleigh.
F2S of Norway to S of OrangeburgOrangeburgSC22003 deaths – This smoky-looking tornado leveled numerous little cabins.
F?Indiantown areaWilliamsburgSC2330Details unknown.
F2Dogwood Neck areaHorrySC0000This tornado swept a frame home clean to its foundation.
F?NW of ConwayHorrySC0000Tornado was not surveyed.
F2SW of SylvaniaBullochGA0100A tornado hit eight cabins, leveling them.

Sparta, Georgia/Edgefield, South Carolina

A large F4 tornado tore a damage path long ranging from to over wide across portions of Georgia and South Carolina. The tornado caused its first damage northwest of Sparta, Georgia in Hancock County after which it destroyed dozens of farms. Four people were killed in Hancock county, three of them on one farm. A door hinge from the farmhouse was found embedded deep in a tree more than away. At least six people died in Warren County, including one at a church west of Warrentown. The pastor attributed the survival of the majority in the church to the pews, which stopped some of the falling timbers. The tornado then moved through Camak, where 39 of the town's 40 homes were damaged or destroyed. At least seven people, possibly as many as nine, were killed in McDuffie County, most of them in small cabins. The death toll in Columbia County may have been as high as 20, though only eight deaths were confirmed. At least four people died in Appling, and as many as eight may have died on a plantation. The tornado then crossed the state line into Edgefield County, South Carolina where damage was less severe. Here, six farms and plantations were destroyed with three fatalities. The tornado finally dissipated south of Edgefield. The death toll from this tornado is listed at 28, but due to uncertainties, it may have been as high as 42.