Tornadoes · United States · Missouri

1973 tornadoes in Missouri

79 tornadoes touched down in Missouri in 1973, 126 percent above the average of the record for the state. They killed 8 people and injured 91. 3 were rated F4 or EF4 and above.

1972 1974 The whole country in 1973

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

F040 to 72 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
F173 to 112 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
F2113 to 157 mph
Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.
F3158 to 206 mph
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
F4207 to 260 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
F5261 to 318 mph
Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.
Unrated
The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Every tornado in Missouri in 1973

January 18 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
January 18	1:55 PM CST	F2	Ripley	4.3	100		1	$50,000 to $500,000
January 18	4:10 PM CST	F1	Stoddard	4.7	100		1	$5,000 to $50,000

March 13 4 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries	Damage
March 13	8:20 PM CST	F2	Stone	2.5	300	4	$5,000 to $50,000
March 13	9:05 PM CST	F2	Douglas	2.0	50		$5,000 to $50,000
March 13	9:46 PM CST	F1	Boone	6.1	50		$5,000 to $50,000
March 13	11:30 PM CST	F1	Lincoln	0.1	50	1	$5,000 to $50,000

March 31 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
March 31	11:25 AM CST	F0	Henry	0.1	10			under $50

April 19 4 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries	Damage
April 19	1:00 PM CST	F2	Pemiscot	2.5	10		$5,000 to $50,000
April 19	5:00 PM CST	F2	Gentry	5.9	50		$500 to $5,000
April 19	6:00 PM CST	F2	Clinton	1.0	50		$500 to $5,000
April 19	7:30 PM CST	F4	Henry	10.0	880	5	$5,000 to $50,000

April 20 16 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
April 20	1:00 PM CST	F0	St. Clair	5.7	17			$500 to $5,000
April 20	1:08 PM CST	F1	St. Clair	13.0	17			$50,000 to $500,000
April 20	1:10 PM CST	F2	St. Clair	5.7	17			$5,000 to $50,000
April 20	1:50 PM CST	F1	Cooper	0.1	10			$500 to $5,000
April 20	2:30 PM CST	F3	Cedar	1.0	50			$5,000 to $50,000
April 20	2:30 PM CST	F3	Pettis	5.0	50			$500 to $5,000
April 20	4:55 PM CST	F2	Carroll	5.0	10			$5,000 to $50,000
April 20	5:05 PM CST	F1	St. Clair	9.8	10			$5,000 to $50,000
April 20	5:15 PM CST	F3	Benton	19.4	100		4	$50,000 to $500,000
April 20	5:30 PM CST	F4	Macon	3.8	440	1	3	$5,000 to $50,000
April 20	6:00 PM CST	F2	Benton	2.0	10			$50,000 to $500,000
April 20	6:25 PM CST	F3	Benton	10.1	100			$50,000 to $500,000
April 20	6:35 PM CST	F2	Cooper	2.3	50			$5,000 to $50,000
April 20	6:35 PM CST	F3	Scotland	9.5	440			$50,000 to $500,000
April 20	7:25 PM CST	F2	Pettis	2.0	50		8	$500,000 to $5 million
April 20	10:40 PM CST	F3	Dade	7.8	100		6	$500,000 to $5 million

April 21 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
April 21	2:00 PM CST	F4	Mercer	14.6	440		1	$50,000 to $500,000
April 21	9:35 PM CST	F2	Jasper	5.0	100		2	$5,000 to $50,000

April 26 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
April 26	6:16 AM CST	F2	Dunklin	2.0	100		2	$5,000 to $50,000

May 1 5 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 1	2:30 PM CDT	F2	Lafayette	0.5	50			$500 to $5,000
May 1	2:50 PM CDT	F1	Ralls	0.5	100			$50 to $500
May 1	3:50 PM CDT	F1	Schuyler	1.0	50			$500 to $5,000
May 1	5:20 PM CDT	F1	Schuyler	1.0	20			$50 to $500
May 1	9:30 PM CDT	F3	Clark	3.6	440	2	20	$500,000 to $5 million

May 7 11 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries	Damage
May 7	1:20 PM CDT	F2	Clay	0.5	20		$5,000 to $50,000
May 7	2:45 PM CDT	F1	Ozark	5.0	50		$5,000 to $50,000
May 7	3:25 PM CDT	F2	Howell	7.4	100	1	$5,000 to $50,000
May 7	5:05 PM CDT	F2	Madison	14.6	100		$50,000 to $500,000
May 7	5:45 PM CDT	F0	Polk	1.0	50		$5,000 to $50,000
May 7	5:45 PM CDT	F1	Pike	1.0	50		$500 to $5,000
May 7	5:50 PM CDT	F3	Butler	36.0	100	7	$50,000 to $500,000
May 7	6:10 PM CDT	F2	Saint Louis	0.5	50		$5,000 to $50,000
May 7	6:15 PM CDT	F1	Perry	1.0	50		$500 to $5,000
May 7	8:25 PM CDT	F0	Cape Girardeau	0.3	27		$50 to $500
May 7	9:30 PM CDT	F2	Stoddard	0.3	27		$50 to $500

May 21 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 21	5:50 PM CDT	F1	Cooper	0.5	50			$500 to $5,000

May 26 8 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries	Damage
May 26	5:30 PM CDT	F1	Adair	5.0	50		$5,000 to $50,000
May 26	7:00 PM CDT	F1	Wright	2.0	50		$500 to $5,000
May 26	7:50 PM CDT	F2	Boone	3.0	50	1	$50,000 to $500,000
May 26	9:05 PM CDT	F1	Iron	1.0	50
May 26	10:30 PM CDT	F2	Saint Louis	1.0	100		$50,000 to $500,000
May 26	11:30 PM CDT	F0	Randolph	0.1	10
May 26	11:30 PM CDT	F1	Iron	3.0	210
May 26	12:00 AM CDT	F2	Madison	3.0	200

May 27 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 27	3:00 AM CDT	F1	Dunklin	0.5	30			$50,000 to $500,000

June 2 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 2	3:40 PM CDT	F1	Cape Girardeau	0.1	10
June 2	12:30 AM CDT	F1	Howell	1.0	100			$5,000 to $50,000

June 3 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 3	7:00 PM CDT	F2	Saint Francois	0.1	50			$5,000 to $50,000

June 4 5 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries	Damage
June 4	1:00 PM CDT	F0	Carter	0.1	10
June 4	7:45 PM CDT	F1	Pulaski	0.5	200		$5,000 to $50,000
June 4	9:30 PM CDT	F1	Saint Charles	0.1	10
June 4	10:00 PM CDT	F1	Jefferson	0.1	10
June 4	11:15 PM CDT	F2	Phelps	0.3	100	1	$50,000 to $500,000

June 16 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 16	4:45 PM CDT	F2	Buchanan	6.0	10		14	$500,000 to $5 million

June 19 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 19	5:15 PM CDT	F1	Butler	1.0	300		1	$50,000 to $500,000

July 9 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
July 9	3:30 PM CDT	F0	Mississippi	0.1	10

July 18 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
July 18	6:30 PM CDT	F1	Ray	0.1	10

July 20 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
July 20	6:30 PM CDT	F1	Callaway	1.0	50			$500 to $5,000

July 23 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
July 23	5:30 PM CDT	F1	Saint Louis	0.2	50			$50 to $500

September 4 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
September 4	3:00 AM CDT	F1	Bates	2.0	50		1	$5,000 to $50,000

September 24 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
September 24	12:00 AM CDT	F1	Lawrence	2.0	100			$50,000 to $500,000

September 27 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
September 27	3:30 PM CDT	F1	Jasper	0.1	10

November 24 3 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
November 24	4:45 AM CST	F2	Shannon	1.0	60	3	1	$50,000 to $500,000
November 24	10:25 PM CST	F2	New Madrid	57.3	10	2	6	$50,000 to $500,000
November 24	10:30 PM CST	F0	Stoddard	0.3	30			$5,000 to $50,000

December 4 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
December 4	2:45 AM CST	F0	Butler	0.1	10			$5,000 to $50,000
December 4	6:30 AM CST	F0	Boone	0.1	10			$5,000 to $50,000

December 24 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
December 24	3:30 PM CST	F0	Dade	0.3	10			$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Every tornado in Missouri since 1950 Warnings in force in Missouri The live radar over Missouri

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.