Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, April 15, 1973

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, April 15, 1973
Start: 1973-04-15T00:12
End: 1973-04-15T23:50
Location: Texas

April 15, 1973 · 21 events in 17 counties and zones

11 thunderstorm wind, 5 hail, 5 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 7
Injuries: 41
Property damage: $250,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 21

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

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

Thunderstorm Wind, Val Verde

When: April 15, 12:12 AM CST
Where: Val Verde County
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Coordinates: 29.370, -100.920

Hail, Lubbock

When: April 15, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Lubbock County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 33.600, -102.030

Thunderstorm Wind, Lubbock

When: April 15, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Lubbock County
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Coordinates: 33.600, -102.030

Tornado, Hale

When: April 15, 4:15 AM CST
Where: Hale County
Rating: F3
Path length: 7.6 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Deaths: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 26 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 34.180, -101.750

Thunderstorm Wind, Bell

When: April 15, 5:44 AM CST
Where: Bell County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 31.120, -97.720

Thunderstorm Wind, Hall

When: April 15, 6:40 AM CST
Where: Hall County
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph)
Coordinates: 34.720, -100.530

Thunderstorm Wind, Concho

When: April 15, 12:40 PM CST
Where: Concho County
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Coordinates: 31.500, -99.930

Thunderstorm Wind, Tarrant

When: April 15, 4:15 PM CST
Where: Tarrant County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 32.770, -97.450

Tornado, Medina

When: April 15, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Medina County
Rating: F1
Path length: 22.4 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 29.380, -99.030

Hail, Medina

When: April 15, 5:15 PM CST
Where: Medina County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 29.380, -98.920

Tornado, Frio

When: April 15, 5:20 PM CST
Where: Frio County
Rating: F4
Path length: 23.3 mi
Path width: 440 yd
Deaths: 5 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 12 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 28.830, -99.220

Hail, Frio

When: April 15, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Frio County
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Coordinates: 28.830, -99.080

Thunderstorm Wind, Dallas

When: April 15, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Dallas County
Coordinates: 32.850, -96.850

Hail, Live Oak

When: April 15, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Live Oak County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 28.620, -98.280

Tornado, Navarro

When: April 15, 7:50 PM CST
Where: Navarro County
Rating: F3
Path length: 3.8 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 32.080, -96.470

Thunderstorm Wind, Henderson

When: April 15, 8:30 PM CST
Where: Henderson County
Coordinates: 32.200, -95.850

Tornado, Aransas

When: April 15, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Aransas County
Rating: F0
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 28.020, -96.950

Thunderstorm Wind, Rusk

When: April 15, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Rusk County
Coordinates: 32.300, -94.900

Hail, Panola

When: April 15, 10:25 PM CST
Where: Panola County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 32.320, -94.520

Thunderstorm Wind, Panola

When: April 15, 10:25 PM CST
Where: Panola County
Coordinates: 32.320, -94.520

Thunderstorm Wind, Tyler

When: April 15, 11:50 PM CST
Where: Tyler County
Coordinates: 30.620, -94.420

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.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Texas in 1973 Every state in 1973 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Texas, 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: 10133025, 10133026, 10133027, 10133028, 10133029, 10133030, 10133031, 10133032, 10133033, 10133034, 10133035, 10133036, 10133037, 10133038, 10133039, 10133040, 10133041, 10133042, 10133043, 10133044, 10133045.