Iowa, 1973

Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, April 19, 1973

April 19, 1973 · 13 events in 11 counties and zones

7 thunderstorm wind, 5 tornado, 1 hail, 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
0
Property damage
$125,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
13

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

7 thunderstorm wind, 5 tornado, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Warren

When
April 19, 12:10 PM CST
Where
Warren County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
41.350, -93.570

Tornado, Lyon

When
April 19, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Lyon County
Rating
F1
Path length
1 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
43.300, -96.300

Thunderstorm Wind, Woodbury

When
April 19, 4:30 PM CST
Where
Woodbury County
Coordinates
42.270, -96.080

Thunderstorm Wind, Woodbury

When
April 19, 4:50 PM CST
Where
Woodbury County
Coordinates
42.480, -96.180

Tornado, Crawford

When
April 19, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Crawford County
Rating
F1
Path length
1 mi
Path width
300 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
42.200, -95.300

Thunderstorm Wind, Buena Vista

When
April 19, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Buena Vista County
Coordinates
42.630, -95.180

Thunderstorm Wind, Plymouth

When
April 19, 5:10 PM CST
Where
Plymouth County
Coordinates
42.700, -96.230

Thunderstorm Wind, O'Brien

When
April 19, 5:45 PM CST
Where
O'Brien County
Coordinates
43.030, -95.470

Thunderstorm Wind, Sioux

When
April 19, 5:45 PM CST
Where
Sioux County
Coordinates
43.070, -95.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Sioux

When
April 19, 5:45 PM CST
Where
Sioux County
Coordinates
43.180, -95.930

Tornado, Ringgold

When
April 19, 6:15 PM CST
Where
Ringgold County
Rating
F1
Path length
2.7 mi
Path width
300 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
40.770, -94.100

Tornado, Union

When
April 19, 6:20 PM CST
Where
Union County
Rating
F1
Path length
1 mi
Path width
200 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
41.050, -94.350

Tornado, Clarke

When
April 19, 8:00 PM CST
Where
Clarke County
Rating
F2
Path length
2 mi
Path width
400 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
41.100, -93.830

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.
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 Iowa in 1973Every state in 1973This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Iowa, 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: 10014714, 10014715, 10014716, 10014717, 10014718, 10014719, 10014720, 10014721, 10014722, 10014723, 10012230, 10012231, 10012232.