Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Illinois, December 4, 1973

Name: Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Illinois, December 4, 1973
Start: 1973-12-04T08:02
End: 1973-12-04T12:00
Location: Illinois

December 4, 1973 · 9 events in 7 counties and zones

5 tornado, 4 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: 3
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 9

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

5 tornado, 4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When: December 4, 8:02 AM CST
Where: Jackson County
Measured: 73 kt (84 mph)
Coordinates: 37.730, -89.200

Tornado, Morgan

When: December 4, 8:30 AM CST
Where: Morgan County
Rating: F2
Path width: 33 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 39.580, -90.250

Thunderstorm Wind, Morgan

When: December 4, 8:40 AM CST
Where: Morgan County
Coordinates: 39.730, -90.200

Tornado, Schuyler

When: December 4, 9:20 AM CST
Where: Schuyler County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 40.120, -90.470

Tornado, Mason

When: December 4, 9:50 AM CST
Where: Mason County
Rating: F0
Path width: 33 yd
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 40.370, -89.820

Thunderstorm Wind, Fulton

When: December 4, 9:50 AM CST
Where: Fulton County
Coordinates: 40.630, -90.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Fulton

When: December 4, 9:50 AM CST
Where: Fulton County
Coordinates: 40.500, -90.100

Tornado, Henry

When: December 4, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Henry County
Rating: F0
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 41.170, -89.870

Tornado, Iroquois

When: December 4, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Iroquois County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 40.880, -87.950

What these are

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.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Illinois in 1973 Every state in 1973 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Illinois, 1973

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: 10008395, 10008396, 10008397, 10008398, 10008399, 10008400, 10008401, 10008402, 10008403.