Palm Sunday (1965) Tornado Outbreak II

Picture of the "double tornado" that hit the Midway Trailer park killing 33.
Date of tornado outbreak:	April 11-12, 1965
Duration1:	~11 hours
Maximum rated tornado2:	F4 tornado
Tornadoes caused:	47
Damages:	Unknown
Fatalities:	271
Areas affected:	Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio
1Time from first tornado to last tornado 2Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita Scale Download high resolution version (700x629, 76 KB)Image of the double tornado heading towards the Midway Trailer Park. ... April 11 is the 101st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (102nd in leap years). ... April 12 is the 102nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (103rd in leap years). ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... The Fujita scale (F-Scale), or Fujita-Pearson scale, rates a tornados intensity by the damage it inflicts on human-built structures and sometimes on vegetation. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Official language(s) English Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ... The Fujita scale (F-Scale), or Fujita-Pearson scale, rates a tornados intensity by the damage it inflicts on human-built structures and sometimes on vegetation. ...

The first Palm Sunday tornado outbreak occurred on April 11, 1965 and involved 78 tornadoes (38 significant, 19 violent, 21 killers) hitting the Midwest. It was the second biggest outbreak on record. Palm Sunday is a moveable feast in the Christian calendar which falls on the Sunday before Easter. ... A tornado in central Oklahoma. ... April 11 is the 101st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (102nd in leap years). ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ...

Casualties

In the Midwest, 271 people were killed and 1,500 injured (1,200 in Indiana). It was the deadliest tornado outbreak in Indiana history with 137 people killed.¹ The outbreak also made that week the second most active week in history with 51 significant and 21 violent tornadoes. This article is about the U.S. State. ...

Range of effects

The tornadoes occurred in a 450-mile swath west-to-east from Clinton County, Iowa, to Cuyahoga County, Ohio, and a 200-mile swath north-to-south from Kent County, Michigan, to Montgomery County, Indiana. Clinton County is a county located in the state of Iowa. ... Cuyahoga County is a county located in the state of Ohio. ... Kent County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... Montgomery County is a county located in the state of Indiana. ...

Severity

The outbreak lasted 11 hours and is among the most intense outbreaks — in terms of number, strength, width, and path length of tornadoes — ever recorded.

This is the third deadliest day for tornadoes on record, trailing the Super Outbreak of April 3, 1974, which killed 315 and the outbreak that included the Tri-State Tornado which killed 747. It occurred on Palm Sunday, an important day in the Christian religion, and many people were attending services at church, one possible reason why some warnings were not received. There had been a short winter that year, and as the day progressed, the temperature rose to 83° F in some areas of Midwestern United States. 1Time from first tornado to last tornado 2Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita Scale The Super Outbreak is the largest tornado outbreak on record. ... April 3 is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 272 days remaining. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1Time from first tornado to last tornado 2Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita Scale The Great Tri-State Tornado of Wednesday, March 18, 1925, crossed from southeastern Missouri, through southern Illinois, then into southwestern Indiana, and was the deadliest tornado in U.S. history. ... Palm Sunday is a moveable feast in the Christian calendar which falls on the Sunday before Easter. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Christianity. ... Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after the German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736), who proposed it in 1724. ... Midwest as shown by U.S. Census Bureau official map from [3] Regional definitions vary from source to source. ...

Another destructive Palm Sunday tornado outbreak occurred on March 27, 1994, in Alabama, killing 42: see Palm Sunday tornado outbreak of 1994. March 27 is the 86th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (87th in leap years). ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... Official language(s) English Capital Montgomery Largest city Birmingham Area  Ranked 30th  - Total 52,419 sq mi (135,765 km²)  - Width 190 miles (306 km)  - Length 330 miles (531 km)  - % water 3. ... 1Time from first tornado to last tornado 2Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale The Palm Sunday tornado outbreak of 1994 was the second notable tornado outbreak that occurred on Palm Sunday in the U.S. state of Alabama. ...

Confirmed tornadoes

Description of events

At around 12:55 P.M.², the first tornado of the day occurred in Clinton County, Iowa. It was an F4 on the Fujita scale of severity. It was spawned from a thunderstorm cell first detected near Tipton in Cedar County, Iowa, around 12:45 P.M. by radio news reporter Martin Jensen at the WMT Stations in Cedar Rapids, some 50 miles northwest of Tipton. The station was equipped with a Collins Radio aviation radar that was mounted on the roof of the station building and used to support severe weather reports on local and regional newscasts. After detecting the strong and very tall thunderstorm, the reporter called National Weather Service offices in Waterloo (which had no radar) and Des Moines to alert them to the storm. His call was to become the first solid evidence obtained by the Weather Service on the growing severe storms that spawned dozens of tornadoes over the next 12 hours. Clinton County is a county located in the state of Iowa. ... The Fujita scale (F-Scale), or Fujita-Pearson scale, rates a tornados intensity by the damage it inflicts on human-built structures and sometimes on vegetation. ... Cedar County is a county located in the state of Iowa. ...

Illinois

A tornado occurred at Crystal Lake, Illinois, where it destroyed several subdivisions and a golf course. It grazed a junior high school then destroyed several homes in a community called Colby's Home Estates. 145 homes were damaged -- 45 beyond repair as well as a shopping centre. Five people were killed. The tornado then overtopped a hill and destroyed the small community of Island Lake, killing one more person before ascending back into the clouds at 3:42 P.M. This was one of a handful of F4 tornadoes that occurred during this outbreak. Crystal Lake is a city located in southeastern McHenry County in northeastern Illinois. ...

Indiana

Northern Indiana tornado tracks. Map showing the confirmed paths of the Palm Sunday tornadoes with Fujita scale intensity.

Later in the day, the tornadoes became more numerous. Several tornadoes touched down in Indiana, and many of them were lethal. Some individual supercells spawned as many as 5 violent tornadoes as they raced from west to east. The first touched down at around 5:30 P.M. in Koontz Lake, Indiana. This massive F4 killed 10 people and injured 180. This tornado then moved northeast toward La Paz and Lakeville where it destroyed a brand new high school that was still under construction. The tornado then moved into Wyatt and destroyed twenty homes. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 181 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Palm Sunday tornado outbreak of 1965... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 181 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Palm Sunday tornado outbreak of 1965... This article is about the U.S. State. ... The Fujita scale (F-Scale), or Fujita-Pearson scale, rates a tornados intensity by the damage it inflicts on human-built structures and sometimes on vegetation. ... Koontz Lake is a census-designated place (CDP) in Starke County, Indiana, United States. ... The Fujita scale (F-Scale), or Fujita-Pearson scale, rates a tornados intensity by the damage it inflicts on human-built structures and sometimes on vegetation. ... La Paz from the air, looking southeast. ... Lakeville from the west Lakeville is a town located in St. ... Wyatt from the air. ...

Another violent tornado formed near the St. Joseph County-Elkhart County border and moved east-northeast, first striking Wakarusa, Indiana, where it killed a child. Then it moved toward the towns of Nappanee, Goshen, and Dunlap. Elkhart Truth reporter Paul Huffman captured a spectacular series of photographs as this double tornado moved past Goshen, IN; one of these photos is pictured above right. The Palm Sunday Tornado Memorial Park now exists near this location, at the corner of County Road 45 and Cole Street in Dunlap. St. ... Elkhart County is a county located in the state of Indiana. ... Wakarusa from the air, looking east. ... Nappanee from above. ... Goshen (IPA: ) is a city of about 30,000 people located about 100 miles east of Chicago and 30 miles east of South Bend in north-central Indiana. ... Dunlap is a census-designated place located in Elkhart County, Indiana. ... Elkhhart Truth is a daily newspaper published in Elkhart, Indiana. ...

One-half hour later, a second tornado devastated the Sunnyside Housing addition and the unoccupied Sunnyside Mennonite Church. The death toll from the Sunnyside tornado was over 20 people. Most of the 36 people killed in the tornado had no warning because the high winds had knocked out the telephone and power grids. For the first time in the U.S. Weather Bureau's history, all nine counties in the northern Indiana office's jurisdiction were under a tornado warning. This is called a "blanket tornado warning." Both tornadoes were officially rated as F4 according to the National Weather Service records. However, the second Dunlap tornado was previously rated F5. ^[1] The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce. ... The National Weather Service (NWS) is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States government. ...

Ninety miles to the south, at just past 7:30PM, another massive tornado slammed into the town of Russiaville, Indiana. Most of the town was destroyed, leaving several dead. The storm churned into nearby Alto, obliterating it completely, before striking the southern edge of the larger city of Kokomo. As the tornado continued east, it killed ten more people in Greentown, Indiana, most of whom had been riding in automobiles that were hurled across the landscape. More destruction ensued in Marion, Indiana, before the storm crossed into Ohio. Russiaville is a town located in Howard County, Indiana. ... Kokomo (IPA: ) is the county seat of Howard CountyGR6, Indiana, United States, Indianas 13th largest city. ... Greentown is a town located in Howard County, Indiana. ... Marion (IPA: ) is a city in Grant County, Indiana, United States. ...

Michigan and Ohio

With the telephone lines down, emergency services in Elkhart County, Indiana, could not warn the people in Michigan that the tornadoes were headed their way. In Michigan, tornadoes hit as far north as Allendale, in Ottawa County, Michigan, just west of Grand Rapids. Out of the southernmost counties of Michigan, all but three (Berrien, Cass, and St. Joseph counties) were hit. Two F4 tornadoes struck Hillsdale County and destroyed about 200 cottages along Baw Beese Lake. It was said many people were saved as they were in church instead of out by the lake. It also devastated the Manitou Beach-Devils Lake area in Lenawee County in a span of a little more than 30 minutes, causing numerous fatalities. This article is about the U.S. State. ... Cedar County is a county located in the state of Iowa. ... Official language(s) English Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... McHenry County is located in the U.S. state of Illinois. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Adams County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. ... Boone County is a county located in the state of Indiana. ... Elkhart County is a county located in the state of Indiana. ... Grant County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana, United States. ... County seat building in downtown Noblesville. ... Howard County is one of 92 counties in the U.S. state of Indiana. ... Historic county courthouse in Lagrange, built in the 1870s. ... Marshall County is a county located in the state of Indiana. ... Montgomery County is a county located in the state of Indiana. ... St. ... Starke County is a county located in the state of Indiana. ... Wells County is a county located in the state of Indiana. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ... Allegan County is a county located in the state of Michigan. ... Alternate use: There are several other places named Clinton, Michigan. ... Hillsdale County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... Kent County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... Lenawee County is a county located in the state of Michigan. ... Monroe County is a county located in the state of Michigan. ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ... Allen County is a county located in the state of Ohio. ... Cuyahoga County is a county located in the state of Ohio. ... Delaware County is a fast growing suburban county located in the state of Ohio, within the Columbus, OH metropolitan area. ... Hancock County is a county located in the state of Ohio. ... Lorain County is a county located in the northeastern region state of Ohio, United States, and is considered to be a part of what is locally referred to as Greater Cleveland. ... Lucas County is a county located in the state of Ohio. ... Mercer County is a county located in the state of Ohio. ... Seneca County is a county located in the state of Ohio. ... Shelby County is a county located in the state of Ohio. ... Official language(s) None Capital Madison Largest city Milwaukee Area  Ranked 23rd  - Total 65,498 sq mi (169,790 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 310 miles (500 km)  - % water 17  - Latitude 42°30N to 47°3N  - Longitude 86°49W to 92°54W Population  Ranked... Jefferson County is a county located in the state of Wisconsin. ... Elkhart County is a county located in the state of Indiana. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ... Allendale is an unincorporated community in Ottawa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... Ottawa County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... Nickname: Location of Grand Rapids within Kent County, Michigan Coordinates: Country United States State Michigan County Kent Founded 1826 Government  - Mayor George Heartwell Area  - City  45. ... Berrien County is a county located in the extreme southwest of the U.S. state of Michigan. ... Cass County is a county located in the state of Michigan. ... St. ... Hillsdale County is a county located in the state of Michigan. ... Manitou Beach and Devils Lake are two unincorporated communities in the Irish Hills region of Lenawee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... Lenawee County is a county located in the state of Michigan. ...

One of the tornadoes then hit in Milan, Michigan, near Detroit. It destroyed the building of Wolverine Plastics (the top employer in Milan), completely removing the roof. Milan is a city established in 1831 that straddles the border between Monroe County and Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815  County Wayne County Mayor...

Tornadoes continued from Indiana into Ohio, and additional fatalities occurred across the border. A double tornado was sighted near Toledo, Ohio and that system devastated northern parts of the city with F4 damage. Other violent tornadoes occurred near the Indiana/Ohio border. Nickname: The Glass City Location in the state of Ohio Country United States State Ohio County Lucas Government  - Mayor Carty Finkbeiner (D) Area  - City 84. ...

At around 11 P.M., another violent tornado touched earth in Lorain County, Ohio and slammed into Pittsfield, Ohio, killing seven and destroying most structures. The same tornado caused severe damage to homes in Grafton. By the time the storm got to Cleveland, Ohio, the storm "appeared to have split into two paths about a 1/2 mile apart." Several witnesses also saw two funnels merging into one similar to the Dunlap tornado. ^[1] Large trees laying 50 feet apart were felled lying in different directions. The storm also displayed F4 damage near Strongsville where homes literally vanished. This tornado killed 18 people and was also previously rated as an F5 before being lowered to an F4 by NWS officials. Lorain County is a county located in the northeastern region state of Ohio, United States, and is considered to be a part of what is locally referred to as Greater Cleveland. ... It has been suggested that Pittsfield, Ohio be merged into this article or section. ... Grafton is a village located in Lorain County, Ohio. ... Cleveland redirects here. ... Nickname: Crossroads of the Nation Location in Ohio Country United States State Ohio County Cuyahoga Township created 1818 Village created 1923 Incorporated 1961 Government type Mayor-council Mayor Thomas Perciak Area    - City 63. ...

The last tornado of the day occurred at 12:30 A.M. on April 12. It moved along a 30-mile path south of Columbus, Ohio, causing F2 damage. April 12 is the 102nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (103rd in leap years). ... Nickname: The Arch City The Discovery City Location in the state of Ohio, USA Coordinates: Country United States State Ohio Counties Franklin, Delaware, and Fairfield  - Mayor Michael B. Coleman (D) Area    - City  212. ...

The aftermath

The U.S. Weather Bureau later investigated why so many people died in this event. Radar stations were few and far between in 1965, so tornadoes were identified by the characteristic shape of "hook echoes", but the danger in this storm was identified in plenty of time. The real answer was simple: the warning system failed. The Bureau disseminated the warnings quickly, but the public never received them. Additionally, the public did not know the difference between a Forecast and an Alert. Thus the current Tornado watch and Tornado warning program was implemented because of the terrible death toll from the Palm Sunday outbreak. Pivotal to those clarifications was a meeting in the WMT Stations studio in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Officials of the severe storms forecast center in Kansas City met with WMT meteorologist Conrad Johnson and News Director Grant Price. Their discussion led to establishment of the official "watch" and "warning" procedures in use since 1965. This long range radar antenna, known as ALTAIR, is used to detect and track space objects in conjunction with ABM testing at the Ronald Reagan Test Site on the Kwajalein atoll. ... A classic hook echo. ... A tornado watch is issued when weather conditions are favorable for the development of severe thunderstorms that are capable of producing tornados. ... Tornado at beginning of life. ...

Technology has grown tremendously since 1965; warnings can now be spread via cable and satellite television, PCs and the Internet, solid-state electronics, cell phones, and NOAA Weatheradio. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a scientific agency of the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere. ... Weatheradio is a special radio service available over much of North America that transmits weather warnings and forecasts 24 hours a day. ...

Suction vortices

Dr. Ted Fujita discovered suction vortices during the Palm Sunday tornado outbreak. It had been believed the reason why tornadoes could hit one house and leave another across the street completely unscathed was because the whole tornado would "jump" from one house to another. However, the actual reason is because most of the destruction is caused by suction vortices: small, intense mini-tornadoes within the main tornado. Tetsuya Theodore Fujita (藤田哲也, October 23, 1920–November 19, 1998) was one of the great severe storms researchers of the twentieth century. ... A multiple vortex tornado is a tornado that contains several vortices rotating around and inside of and part of the main vortex. ...

See also

• List of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
• Palm Sunday tornado outbreak of 1920
• Palm Sunday tornado outbreak of 1994

// Tornado Events These are some notable tornadoes, tornado outbreaks, and tornado outbreak sequences that have occurred around the globe. ... 1Time from first tornado to last tornado 2Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale The first Palm Sunday tornado outbreak occurred on March 28, 1920. ... 1Time from first tornado to last tornado 2Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale The Palm Sunday tornado outbreak of 1994 was the second notable tornado outbreak that occurred on Palm Sunday in the U.S. state of Alabama. ...

External links

• The Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak (Blake Naftel)
• 1965 Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak (Keith C. Heidorn)
• The Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak Story (NWS Detroit, MI)
• April 11, 1965, Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak (NWS Indianapolis, IN)
• Tornado History Project Palm Sunday tornado outbreak overlaid on Google Map

Books about

• Palm Sunday tornadoes of April 11, 1965, by Tetsuya T. Fujita and Dorothy L. Bradbury, with C. F. Van Thullenar. Chicago Satellite & Mesometeorology Research Project, University of Chicago, 1970. There is no ISBN available; Library of Congress Control Number: 70017916.
• The Night of the Wicked Winds: the 1965 Palm Sunday tornadoes in Ohio, by Roger Pickenpaugh. Baltimore, MD: Gateway Press, 2003. ISBN 0-9709059-3-9 (paperback).
• Winds of fury, circles of grace: life after the Palm Sunday tornadoes, by Dale Clem. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1997. ISBN 0-687-01795-5 (alk. paper)
• The Mighty Whirlwind, by David Wagler. Aylmer, Ontario: Pathway Publishing Corp., 1966. There is no ISBN available; Library of Congress Control Number: 67112646.
• The Palm Sunday Tornado, by Timothy E. Bontrager, 2005. A novel by an author whose grandparents died in the tornado. For details see www.timothybontrager.com.
• Fujita, Tetsuya T., et al (1970). "PALM SUNDAY TORNADOES OF APRIL 11, 1965" [1]. Monthly Weather Review, 98 (1), pp. 29–69.
• Night of the Wind: The Palm Sunday Tornado of April 11, 1965, by Dan Cherry. Adrian, Michigan: Lenawee County Historical Society, 2002. A collection of interviews and eyewitness accounts from the Devils Lake area, located in northwest Lenawee County. There is no ISBN available; Library of Congress Control Number not available.

Tetsuya Theodore Ted Fujita (藤田哲也 Fujita Tetsuya, October 23, 1920–November 19, 1998) was one of the great severe storms researchers of the twentieth century. ... Monthly Weather Review is a publication of the American Meteorological Society. ...

References

• Thomas P. Grazulis (1993). Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991, A Chronology and Analysis of Events. The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. ISBN 1-879362-00-7 (hardcover)

• King, Marshall (April 10, 2005). "One for the books". The Elkhart Truth, The Elkhart Truth Online Edition

• National Climatic Data Centre Viewed 17/04/2006.