The tornado outbreak of April 30, 1972

12 tornadoesKansas, Missouri and Oklahoma

12 tornadoes touched down across 3 states between 3:16 PM and 12:05 AM the next day CDT, 7 of them rated F3 or stronger.

Watch the day unfold

Tornado outbreak · April 30, 1972

How the day unfolded

Every tornado recorded that day, at its logged touchdown time and along its path, with the counties it crossed.

About this replay

Central time—Historical replay — logged touchdown times

Tornadoes—of 12 that day

Strongest so far—

Killed—in tornadoes so far

The day’s milestones

Tornado pathsWider and brighter with the rating; F3 and stronger glow

On the groundEach grows from its logged touchdown time

Counties crossedLit as a tornado reaches them, brighter for F3 or stronger

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database (touchdown times, ratings, start and end points) and Storm Events Database (segment paths and times for the notable tornadoes that have record pages). SPC logs the touchdown time only; other paths are drawn at a typical forward speed of 35 mph. Times are Central Daylight Time.

The day in numbers

Tornadoes: 12; on Sunday, April 30, 1972
F3 or stronger: 7; 1 rated F4 or F5
Killed: 0; Along all the paths
Injured: 9; Along all the paths
Path miles: 81; All the paths end to end
First and last: 3:16 PM to 12:05 AM the next day; Touchdowns, Central Daylight Time

Hour by hour

Tornadoes touching down in each hour, Central Daylight Time.

Every tornado

In order of touchdown. One has a record page, linked from the rating.

Tornadoes of April 30, 1972

3:16 PM	F0	Pettis County MO	0.1	50	0
5:00 PM	F3	Lane County, Ness County KS	13.1	300	0
5:30 PM	F2	Ellis County KS	10.5	127	0
6:20 PM	F3	Lane County KS	1.0	50	2
6:30 PM	F3	Pawnee County, Rush County KS	17.0	77	0
6:30 PM	F3	Ness County KS	6.8	440	0
7:25 PM	F4	Hodgeman County, Ness County KS	26.6	77	1
7:38 PM	F3	Ness County KS	2.7	200	0
9:00 PM	F2	Ellsworth County KS	1.0	30	0
10:15 PM	F3	Dickinson County KS	1.5	300	6
11:16 PM	F2	Johnson County KS	0.1	233	0
12:05 AM	F0	Grant County OK	0.1	10	0

By state

Tornadoes by state, April 30, 1972

Kansas	10	7
Missouri	1	0
Oklahoma	1	0

Tornadoes in 1972 · On this date in other years · The biggest outbreak days

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025. A day is SPC’s calendar date in Central Standard Time; an outbreak day here has 40 or more tornadoes, or 6 or more rated F3/EF3 or stronger.