Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, April 18, 1970

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, April 18, 1970
Start: 1970-04-18T00:25
End: 1970-04-18T22:20
Location: Texas

April 18, 1970 · 23 events in 16 counties and zones

11 tornado, 11 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 16
Injuries: 54
Property damage: $10 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 23

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

11 tornado, 11 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Gray

When: April 18, 12:25 AM CST
Where: Gray County
Rating: F4
Path length: 19.6 mi
Path width: 880 yd
Injuries: 10 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 35.370, -101.080

Tornado, Swisher

When: April 18, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Swisher County
Rating: F4
Path length: 32.2 mi
Path width: 880 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 34.650, -101.530

Tornado, Donley

When: April 18, 1:49 AM CST
Where: Donley County
Rating: F4
Path length: 5.2 mi
Path width: 880 yd
Deaths: 16 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 42 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 34.950, -101.100

Tornado, Donley

When: April 18, 2:01 AM CST
Where: Donley County
Rating: F4
Path length: 4.7 mi
Path width: 880 yd
Coordinates: 34.980, -101.020

Tornado, Donley

When: April 18, 2:09 AM CST
Where: Donley County
Rating: F4
Path length: 16.8 mi
Path width: 880 yd
Coordinates: 35.030, -100.970

Tornado, Gray

When: April 18, 2:43 AM CST
Where: Gray County
Rating: F4
Path length: 6.1 mi
Path width: 880 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 35.180, -100.730

Hail, Clay

When: April 18, 1:20 PM CST
Where: Clay County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 33.780, -98.180

Tornado, Tarrant

When: April 18, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Tarrant County
Rating: F2
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 32.800, -97.470

Hail, Uvalde

When: April 18, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Uvalde County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 29.580, -99.580

Hail, Medina

When: April 18, 5:40 PM CST
Where: Medina County
Measured: 3 in hail
Coordinates: 29.580, -99.280

Hail, Zavala

When: April 18, 5:40 PM CST
Where: Zavala County
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Coordinates: 28.700, -99.780

Hail, Kerr

When: April 18, 5:45 PM CST
Where: Kerr County
Measured: 2 in hail
Coordinates: 29.880, -99.080

Hail, Kerr

When: April 18, 5:50 PM CST
Where: Kerr County
Measured: 2.75 in hail
Coordinates: 29.880, -99.000

Tornado, Bexar

When: April 18, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Bexar County
Rating: F2
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 67 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 29.670, -98.670

Hail, Bexar

When: April 18, 6:45 PM CST
Where: Bexar County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 29.580, -98.680

Hail, Kendall

When: April 18, 7:40 PM CST
Where: Kendall County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 29.980, -98.680

Hail, Caldwell

When: April 18, 8:20 PM CST
Where: Caldwell County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 29.880, -97.680

Hail, Bastrop

When: April 18, 8:45 PM CST
Where: Bastrop County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 30.280, -97.400

Tornado, Collin

When: April 18, 9:30 PM CST
Where: Collin County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 33.030, -96.680

Tornado, Rockwall

When: April 18, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Rockwall County
Rating: F2
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 32.970, -96.320

Hail, Bexar

When: April 18, 10:15 PM CST
Where: Bexar County
Measured: 4 in hail
Coordinates: 29.380, -98.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Bexar

When: April 18, 10:15 PM CST
Where: Bexar County
Coordinates: 29.380, -98.500

Tornado, Robertson

When: April 18, 10:20 PM CST
Where: Robertson County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.8 mi
Path width: 27 yd
Coordinates: 31.050, -96.480

What these are

Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Texas in 1970 Every state in 1970 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Texas, 1970

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10134695, 10134696, 10134697, 10134698, 10134699, 10134700, 10134701, 10134702, 10134703, 10134704, 10134920, 10134921, 10134922, 10134923, 10134924, 10134925, 10134926, 10134927, 10134928, 10134929, 10134930, 10134931, 10134932.