Missouri, 1978

Tornadoes and Hail in Missouri, May 12, 1978

May 12, 1978 · 26 events in 19 counties and zones

11 thunderstorm wind, 8 hail, 7 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
5
Property damage
$5.8 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
26

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, 8 hail, 7 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Polk

When
May 12, 1:00 PM CST
Where
Polk County
Path length
3.6 mi
Path width
100 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
37.800, -93.650

Hail, Franklin

When
May 12, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Franklin County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
38.550, -91.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Franklin

When
May 12, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Franklin County
Coordinates
38.550, -91.000

Tornado, Pulaski

When
May 12, 2:15 PM CST
Where
Pulaski County
Rating
F2
Path length
13.9 mi
Path width
400 yd
Injuries
4 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
37.930, -92.270

Hail, St. Charles

When
May 12, 2:22 PM CST
Where
St. Charles County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
38.720, -90.680

Thunderstorm Wind, Linn

When
May 12, 2:30 PM CST
Where
Linn County
Coordinates
39.780, -93.080

Tornado, Phelps

When
May 12, 2:45 PM CST
Where
Phelps County
Rating
F2
Path length
5.6 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
37.980, -92.020

Hail, St. Louis

When
May 12, 2:45 PM CST
Where
St. Louis County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
38.770, -90.430

Thunderstorm Wind, Laclede

When
May 12, 2:45 PM CST
Where
Laclede County
Coordinates
37.680, -92.750

Hail, St. Charles

When
May 12, 2:48 PM CST
Where
St. Charles County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
38.800, -90.620

Tornado, Dent

When
May 12, 3:00 PM CST
Where
Dent County
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
10 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
37.720, -91.550

Hail, St. Louis

When
May 12, 3:00 PM CST
Where
St. Louis County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
38.800, -90.220

Tornado, St. Louis

When
May 12, 3:05 PM CST
Where
St. Louis County
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
38.780, -90.330

Hail, Shelby

When
May 12, 3:30 PM CST
Where
Shelby County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.700, -92.050

Thunderstorm Wind, Texas

When
May 12, 3:33 PM CST
Where
Texas County
Coordinates
37.130, -92.100

Hail, Iron

When
May 12, 3:50 PM CST
Where
Iron County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
37.730, -91.120

Hail, Warren

When
May 12, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Warren County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
38.820, -91.130

Thunderstorm Wind,

When
May 12, 4:45 PM CST
Where
County
Coordinates
38.050, -90.220

Thunderstorm Wind, Iron

When
May 12, 4:45 PM CST
Where
Iron County
Coordinates
37.680, -90.750

Thunderstorm Wind, St. Francois

When
May 12, 4:55 PM CST
Where
St. Francois County
Coordinates
37.950, -90.500

Tornado, Jefferson

When
May 12, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Jefferson County
Path length
4.5 mi
Path width
200 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
38.230, -90.400

Tornado, Daviess

When
May 12, 5:20 PM CST
Where
Daviess County
Path length
1 mi
Path width
200 yd
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
39.970, -93.850

Thunderstorm Wind, St. Francois

When
May 12, 5:25 PM CST
Where
St. Francois County
Coordinates
37.980, -90.420

Thunderstorm Wind, St. Francois

When
May 12, 6:02 PM CST
Where
St. Francois County
Coordinates
37.920, -90.570

Thunderstorm Wind, Cape Girardeau

When
May 12, 6:20 PM CST
Where
Cape Girardeau County
Coordinates
37.380, -89.670

Thunderstorm Wind, Butler

When
May 12, 6:35 PM CST
Where
Butler County
Coordinates
36.570, -90.500

What these are

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.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Missouri in 1978Every state in 1978This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Missouri, 1978

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: 10057305, 10057306, 10057307, 10057308, 10057309, 10057310, 10057311, 10057312, 10057313, 10057314, 10057315, 10057316, 10057317, 10057318, 10057319, 10057320, 10057321, 10057322, 10057323, 10057324, 10057325, 10057326, 10057327, 10057328, 10057329, 10057330.