Tornadoes and Hail in Missouri, April 20, 1973

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Missouri, April 20, 1973
Start: 1973-04-20T04:00
End: 1973-04-20T23:45
Location: Missouri

April 20, 1973 · 27 events in 12 counties and zones

17 tornado, 5 hail, 5 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 1
Injuries: 21
Property damage: $8.9 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 27

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

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

Hail, Benton

When: April 20, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Benton County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.470, -93.370

Hail, Cass

When: April 20, 7:29 AM CST
Where: Cass County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 38.800, -94.580

Hail, Greene

When: April 20, 8:45 AM CST
Where: Greene County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.280, -93.450

Hail, Greene

When: April 20, 11:25 AM CST
Where: Greene County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 37.180, -93.320

Thunderstorm Wind, Pettis

When: April 20, 12:15 PM CST
Where: Pettis County
Coordinates: 38.720, -93.250

Tornado, St. Clair

When: April 20, 1:00 PM CST
Where: St. Clair County
Rating: F0
Path length: 5.7 mi
Path width: 17 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 38.080, -93.750

Tornado, St. Clair

When: April 20, 1:08 PM CST
Where: St. Clair County
Rating: F1
Path length: 13 mi
Path width: 17 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 37.920, -93.830

Tornado, St. Clair

When: April 20, 1:10 PM CST
Where: St. Clair County
Rating: F2
Path length: 5.7 mi
Path width: 17 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 37.970, -93.850

Tornado, Cooper

When: April 20, 1:50 PM CST
Where: Cooper County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 38.900, -92.780

Tornado, Cedar

When: April 20, 2:30 PM CST
Where: Cedar County
Rating: F3
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 37.570, -93.800

Tornado, Pettis

When: April 20, 2:30 PM CST
Where: Pettis County
Rating: F3
Path length: 5 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 38.420, -93.400

Hail, Cedar

When: April 20, 4:15 PM CST
Where: Cedar County
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 37.880, -94.020

Tornado, Carroll

When: April 20, 4:55 PM CST
Where: Carroll County
Rating: F2
Path length: 5 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 39.320, -93.500

Tornado, St. Clair

When: April 20, 5:05 PM CST
Where: St. Clair County
Rating: F1
Path length: 9.8 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 38.020, -93.630

Tornado, Benton

When: April 20, 5:15 PM CST
Where: Benton County
Rating: F3
Path length: 19.4 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Injuries: 4 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 38.300, -93.280

Tornado, Macon

When: April 20, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Macon County
Rating: F4
Path length: 3.8 mi
Path width: 440 yd
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 39.930, -92.480

Tornado, Benton

When: April 20, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Benton County
Rating: F2
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 38.530, -93.220

Tornado, Benton

When: April 20, 6:25 PM CST
Where: Benton County
Rating: F3
Path length: 10.1 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 38.450, -93.470

Tornado, Cooper

When: April 20, 6:35 PM CST
Where: Cooper County
Rating: F2
Path length: 2.3 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 38.830, -92.950

Tornado, Scotland

When: April 20, 6:35 PM CST
Where: Scotland County
Rating: F3
Path length: 9.5 mi
Path width: 440 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 40.430, -92.050

Tornado, Pettis

When: April 20, 7:25 PM CST
Where: Pettis County
Rating: F2
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Injuries: 8 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 38.700, -93.180

Tornado, Dade

When: April 20, 10:40 PM CST
Where: Dade County
Rating: F3
Path length: 7.8 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Injuries: 6 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 37.380, -93.970

Tornado, Dade

When: April 20, 10:55 PM CST
Where: Dade County
Rating: F3
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 37.450, -93.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Hickory

When: April 20, 11:30 PM CST
Where: Hickory County
Coordinates: 37.920, -93.370

Thunderstorm Wind, Cedar

When: April 20, 11:30 PM CST
Where: Cedar County
Coordinates: 37.770, -93.630

Thunderstorm Wind, Cedar

When: April 20, 11:35 PM CST
Where: Cedar County
Coordinates: 37.880, -94.020

Thunderstorm Wind, Hickory

When: April 20, 11:45 PM CST
Where: Hickory County
Coordinates: 37.900, -93.320

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Tornado, Macon	1973-04-20				Direct

What these are

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.
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 Missouri in 1973 Every state in 1973 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Missouri, 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: 10058151, 10058152, 10058153, 10058154, 10058155, 10058156, 10058157, 10058158, 10058159, 10058160, 10058161, 10058162, 10058163, 10058164, 10058165, 10058166, 10058167, 10058168, 10058169, 10058170, 10058171, 10058172, 10058173, 10058174, 10058175, 10058176, 10058177.