This is the picture painted by the Horsham Times in 1897, days after "the most terrific and sensational storm" hit the region on Friday, November 19.

The "tornado" caused widespread destruction from Nhill to Ararat, and claimed the lives of three men, one in Donald and two near Maryborough, while many others were left with tales of broken bones and narrow escapes.

A similarly freakish weather event recently hit Horsham's north, as a tornado tore roofs off houses and uprooted trees.

But in reading the 123-year old-account in the Horsham Times - the publication that later merged with the West Wimmera Mail to create the Wimmera Mail-Times in 1959 - the storm of 2020 seems to pale in comparison.

The 1897 tornado came after five days of "oppressive" heat, accompanying a cool change and bringing a storm of "apocalyptic magnitude".

READ MORE:

The storm struck Horsham at approximately 5pm, as the Horsham Times observed:

"The atmosphere was obscured by thick clouds of dust, the wind blew with an almost unthinkable fury, the lightning flashed with terrific vividness, and the thunder roared, as if almost safe to say, it had never roared before.

"Those looking upon it saw in every direction huge sheets of corrugated iron, great beams of wood and masses of stone and brick flying in all quarters, to the imminent peril of all who had the hardihood to voluntarily remain in the streets or who, despite their willingness, had been unable to find a place of shelter.

"The town was terror stricken, and men, women and children, believing that the last day had come, were upon their knees seeking in the strength of the Creator refuge from the angrily contending forces of nature.

"The spectacle was awe inspiring and the Supreme Power of all created forces was intensely realised and earnestly and piously appealed to."

Nhill was perhaps hit hardest by the storm, as "scarcely a house had not been partly unroofed or blown down".

Three churches were razed and significant damage done to banks and the hospital, as damages were estimated to be between £40,000 to £50,000.

The Hamilton Spectator reported one particularly incredible story from a Mrs Stradford in Nhill:

"While nursing her baby in the vicinity of her house, she was lifted bodily in the air, and hurled with tremendous force for a distance of 70 yards, crossing three fences in her involuntary flight."

Mrs Stradford and her baby miraculously survived, with minimal injuries.

An even more remarkable tale was told from the Horsham Times' correspondent in Murra Warra.

"Everyone has some thrilling experience to relate, but perhaps the one most worthy of recording happened to a man in Dimboola," the paper reads.

"He was hanging to a fence with both hands and, when the storm was at its height, the wire broke, and on recovering his sense he found himself in Murra Warra.

"Dimboola is 12 miles from Murra Warra."

And while it seems hard to believe, a similar story was told from the Horsham Times' correspondent in Kewell on Friday, December 10.

"There was a man here - he was Irish of course - who was out in the gale," the paper reads.

"To save himself from being blown away, he lay down and clasped his hands around a tree. In a very short space of time, all the bark was blown off the tree, which made it slippery to hold.

"Pat said that it was then that he let go to spit on his hands to get a good hold. He then grabbed frantically at his support.

"When the gale had abated sufficiently for him to open his eyes, he found himself clinging to the leg of a cow some sixteen miles to the leeward from where the wind had first overtaken him."

Dimboola's Victoria Hall was destroyed in the storm, while the town's lour mill, goal and "numerous dwellings" also lost roofs.

Damage in Horsham was estimated at around £5,000, as the White Hart Hotel lost its balcony and roof, and the Lutheran Church, built for £900 just nine years earlier, was completely demolished.

The damage at Donald was estimated to be £4,000, while at Pimpinio two churches had been "blown to atoms", according to Melbourne newspaper The Argus.

But in a fashion typical of a resilient Wimmera, the Horsham Times reported that generous recovery efforts were well and truly underway just a week after the tornado.

"The town during the past few days resounded with the sound of hammering. Iron, nails, wood, canvas and wall paper have been at a premium, and workmen, skilled and unskilled, have been employed for something more than the regulation eight hours a day.

"The town is speedily losing the wrecked and bedraggled appearance it wore on Saturday morning, and within a week, it may be hoped the only living record of the disastrous storm of 1897 will be the lessened bank balances of the property owners who have had to make good its ravages."

Did you know you can receive updates straight to your inbox? To make sure you're up-to-date with news from across the region, sign up below.