Missouri, 1971

Tornadoes and Hail in Missouri, May 18, 1971

May 18, 1971 · 8 events in 5 counties and zones

6 tornado, 1 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
0
Injuries
6
Property damage
$150,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

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

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

Tornado, Platte

When
May 18, 1:55 PM CST
Where
Platte County
Rating
F2
Path length
12.1 mi
Path width
50 yd
Injuries
4 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
39.400, -94.950

Tornado, Buchanan

When
May 18, 2:05 PM CST
Where
Buchanan County
Rating
F2
Path length
3.6 mi
Path width
50 yd
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
39.530, -94.800

Tornado, Buchanan

When
May 18, 2:10 PM CST
Where
Buchanan County
Rating
F2
Path length
10.4 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
39.570, -94.750

Tornado, Clinton

When
May 18, 2:20 PM CST
Where
Clinton County
Rating
F2
Path length
9 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
39.670, -94.600

Tornado, De Kalb

When
May 18, 2:25 PM CST
Where
De Kalb County
Rating
F2
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
39.750, -94.470

Hail, De Kalb

When
May 18, 2:30 PM CST
Where
De Kalb County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
39.880, -94.400

Tornado, De Kalb

When
May 18, 2:35 PM CST
Where
De Kalb County
Rating
F2
Path length
11.8 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
39.770, -94.450

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When
May 18, 6:40 PM CST
Where
Jackson County
Coordinates
38.880, -94.180

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

More

Every storm in Missouri in 1971Every state in 1971This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Missouri, 1971

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: 10059269, 10059270, 10059271, 10059272, 10059273, 10059274, 10059275, 10059276.