Missouri, 1973

Tornadoes and Hail in Missouri, April 21, 1973

April 21, 1973 · 16 events in 10 counties and zones

9 hail, 4 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado, 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
$525,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
16

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

9 hail, 4 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Clay

When
April 21, 1:30 PM CST
Where
Clay County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.400, -94.600

Hail, Jackson

When
April 21, 1:40 PM CST
Where
Jackson County
Measured
1.5 in hail
Coordinates
39.120, -94.420

Tornado, Mercer

When
April 21, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Mercer County
Rating
F4
Path length
11 mi
Path width
440 yd
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
40.330, -93.550

Hail, Clay

When
April 21, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Clay County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.280, -94.580

Hail, Clay

When
April 21, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Clay County
Measured
2.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.330, -94.500

Tornado, Putnam

When
April 21, 2:20 PM CST
Where
Putnam County
Rating
F4
Path length
3.6 mi
Path width
440 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
40.430, -93.380

Thunderstorm Wind, Caldwell

When
April 21, 3:17 PM CST
Where
Caldwell County
Coordinates
39.600, -93.800

Hail, Cass

When
April 21, 3:20 PM CST
Where
Cass County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
38.650, -94.330

Hail, Jackson

When
April 21, 3:25 PM CST
Where
Jackson County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.100, -94.400

Hail, Chariton

When
April 21, 4:05 PM CST
Where
Chariton County
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
39.630, -93.280

Thunderstorm Wind, Lafayette

When
April 21, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Lafayette County
Coordinates
39.120, -93.870

Hail, Cass

When
April 21, 5:18 PM CST
Where
Cass County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
38.650, -94.530

Hail, Bates

When
April 21, 5:40 PM CST
Where
Bates County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
38.250, -94.320

Thunderstorm Wind, Cass

When
April 21, 6:04 PM CST
Where
Cass County
Coordinates
38.650, -94.230

Thunderstorm Wind, Jasper

When
April 21, 9:21 PM CST
Where
Jasper County
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
37.170, -94.500

Tornado, Jasper

When
April 21, 9:35 PM CST
Where
Jasper County
Rating
F2
Path length
5 mi
Path width
100 yd
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
37.180, -94.280

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 Missouri in 1973Every state in 1973This day in weather historyThe 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: 10058178, 10058179, 10058180, 10058181, 10058182, 10058183, 10058184, 10058185, 10058186, 10058187, 10058188, 10058189, 10058190, 10058191, 10058192, 10058193.