[6] Despite Ohio being better equipped for a tornadic disaster than many other states, a survey team from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) found the lack of tornado sirens to be one of the leading causes of unpreparedness.

While moving into the Mississippi and Ohio Valley areas, a surge of moist air originating from the Gulf of Mexico intensified the storm.

[7] On April 3, severe weather watches were issued south of the Great Lakes, while in portions of the Upper Midwest, snow was reported, with heavy rain falling across central Michigan and most of Ontario.

Gil Whitney, the weather specialist for WHIO-TV in Dayton, alerted viewers in Montgomery and Greene Counties (where Xenia is located) about the possible tornado, broadcasting the radar image of the supercell with a pronounced hook echo on the rear flank of the storm several minutes before it struck.

[9] The massive tornado went into the western part of Xenia, completely flattening the Windsor Park and Arrowhead subdivisions at an intensity of F5 and sweeping away entire rows of brick homes with little debris left behind.

[11][12] Several railroad cars were lifted and blown over as the tornado passed over a moving Penn Central freight train in the center of town.

[13] It toppled headstones in Cherry Grove Cemetery, then moved through the downtown business district, passing west of the courthouse, which sustained some exterior damage.

Numerous businesses in downtown Xenia were heavily damaged or destroyed, and several people were killed at the A&W Root Beer stand as the building was flattened.

At the same time, a few blocks away, 3 minutes and 21 seconds of footage were captured by 16-year-old Xenia resident Bruce Boyd with a "Super-8" 8mm movie camera, a pre-1973 model without sound recording capability.

[16][17] In addition to fatalities, two Ohio Air National Guardsmen deployed for disaster assistance were killed on April 17 when a fire swept through their temporary barracks in a furniture store.

Cincinnati reporter Polk Laffoon noted, "In all, nine people lost their lives during those first few seconds...before it even did a fraction of the damage which made it so famous.

[23] It took several months for the city to recover from the tornado, with the help of the Red Cross, the Ohio National Guard, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development assisting the recovery efforts.

[25] In recognition of their coverage of the tornado under difficult circumstances, the staff of the Xenia Daily Gazette won the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Reporting in 1975.

Following the 1974 Super Outbreak, NOAA attempted to implement an expansion of its Weather Radio, believing it would prevent the same devastating destruction in the event of another natural disaster.

The Ohio Committee for Severe Weather Awareness (OCSWA) was established in 1978 with the mission of "...educating Ohioans about the natural disasters that typically affect the state..."[30] Every spring, the OCSWA hosts Spring Severe Weather Awareness Week, which encourages schools and families to openly discuss disaster plans.