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This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 1973, but mostly features events in the United States. According to tornado researcher Thomas P. Grazulis, documentation of tornadoes outside the United States was historically less exhaustive, owing to the lack of monitors in many nations and, in some cases, to internal political controls on public information. Most countries only recorded tornadoes that produced severe damage or loss of life. Consequently, available documentation in 1973 mainly covered the United States. On average, most recorded tornadoes, including the vast majority of significant—F2 or stronger—tornadoes, form in the U.S., although as many as 500 may take place internationally. Some locations, like Bangladesh, are as prone to violent tornadoes as the U.S., meaning F4 or greater events on the Fujita scale. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes.

Synopsis

1973 was the most active tornado year since 1967, seeing over 1,100 tornadoes. Deaths were exceptionally above average, and there were over 2,200 injuries.

Events

United States yearly total

January

33 tornadoes were reported in January in the United States.

January 10 (Argentina)

A powerful tornado struck San Justo, a town in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. At least 63 people were reported dead and 350 were reported injured as it cut a 300 yard wide swath through the town. It was the most violent tornado ever recorded in South America, and also the entire Southern Hemisphere. Multiple factories and 500+ homes were destroyed or damaged, and some homes were said to have vanished with little or no trace. Vehicles were thrown hundreds of yards and mangled beyond recognition, and grass was reportedly ripped from the ground. A newspaper image showed a vehicle motor that was embedded into a concrete wall by the tornado. A tractor was found in a wooded area 500 meters away from the dealership where it originated, and a pond outside of town was reportedly sucked dry by the tornado. The tornado is widely considered to have been an F5 on the Fujita Scale. This tornado was the most violent ever reported in Argentina and Southern Hemisphere, and caused great economic loss. The economic cost of this disaster was about $60,000.

February

10 tornadoes were reported in February in the United States.

March

80 tornadoes were reported in March in the United States.

March 10

A relatively small but deadly tornado outbreak rampaged Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi. The outbreak produced an F4 tornado that killed at least 6 people in Mart and Hubbard, Texas. The outbreak also produced a tornado that killed one person near Miles, Texas.

March 31

Extremely destructive, though non-violent, tornadoes produced the costliest natural disaster in Georgia history. Officially rated F2, but at least one source considers them F4s. An F4 also occurred in South Carolina.

April

150 tornadoes were reported in April in the United States.

April 17 (Bangladesh)

A tornado struck the Dhaka District of Bangladesh, killing 681 people.

April 19–20

At least 56 tornadoes touched down across Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, and Oklahoma. One tornado, an F4 tornado, touched down in Windsor, Missouri, destroying many buildings and injuring 5 people. An F3 tornado struck Batesville, Arkansas, injuring 18 people. Another F4 tornado touched down, killing 1 person S of La Plata, Missouri.

May

250 tornadoes were reported in May in the United States.

May 5–6

An F5 tornado touched down and destroyed several buildings in Valley Mills, Texas.

May 7–8

May 26–29

Several violent tornadoes touched down and caused at least 22 fatalities.

June

224 tornadoes were reported in June in the United States.

July

80 tornadoes were reported in July in the United States.

August

51 tornadoes were reported in August in the United States.

August 28

F4 caused major damage in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, killing 4.

September

69 tornadoes were reported in September in the United States.

October

25 tornadoes were reported in October in the United States.

November

81 tornadoes were reported in November in the United States.

December

49 tornadoes were reported in December in the United States.

December 13

An F4 tornado killed two people in Greenwood, South Carolina. Three F3s and two F2s were also associated with the outbreak.

See also

• Tornadoes by year
• List of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
• Fujita Scale

Notes

1. The Fujita scale was devised under the aegis of scientist T. Theodore Fujita in the early 1970s. Prior to the advent of the scale in 1971, tornadoes in the United States were officially unrated. While the Fujita scale has been superseded by the Enhanced Fujita scale in the U.S. since February 1, 2007, Canada utilized the old scale until April 1, 2013; nations elsewhere, like the United Kingdom, apply other classifications such as the TORRO scale.

References

1. ^ Grazulis, Thomas P. (2001). The Tornado: Nature's Ultimate Windstorm. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 251–254. ISBN 978-0-8061-3538-0. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
2. Edwards, Roger (5 March 2015). "The Online Tornado FAQ (by Roger Edwards, SPC)". Storm Prediction Center: Frequently Asked Questions about Tornadoes. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
3. Grazulis 1993, p. 141
4. Edwards, Roger (5 March 2015). "Enhanced F Scale for Tornado Damage". The Online Tornado FAQ (by Roger Edwards, SPC). Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
5. "Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF-Scale)". Environment and Climate Change Canada. Environment and Climate Change Canada. 6 June 2013. Archived from the original on 2016-02-25. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
6. "The International Tornado Intensity Scale". Tornado and Storm Research Organisation. Tornado and Storm Research Organisation. 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-02-25. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
7. Grazulis, Thomas P. (July 1993). Significant Tornadoes, 1680–1991: a Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, Vermont: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. p. 128. ISBN 1-879362-03-1. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
8. "January 1973". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
9. http://tormentasdebuenosaires.blogspot.com/2011/03/tornado-ef5-en-san-justo-santa-fe.html
10. Viento Asesino (motion picture). Argentina: unknown. June 19, 2013. Retrieved August 26, 2014. {{cite AV media}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |trans_title= (help)
11. "February 1973". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
12. "March 1973". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
13. "April 1973". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
14. "April 19, 1973". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
15. "April 20, 1973". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
16. "May 1973". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
17. "June 1973". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
18. "July 1973". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
19. "August 1973". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
20. "September 1973". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
21. "October 1973". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
22. "November 1973". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
23. "December 1973". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
24. "December 13, 1973". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2016-01-15.

• Tornadoes of 1973
• 1973 meteorology
• Tornado-related lists by year