View source for 1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak

{{Short description|Natural disaster in the US}}
{{About|the 1965 tornado outbreak||Palm Sunday tornado outbreak (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox weather event
 | name                 = 1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak
 | image                = 1965 Elkhart Double Tornado-Palm Sunday.jpg
 | alt                  = Two greyish tornado funnels silhouetted against a pale sky on either side of a road behind telephone poles
 | caption              = The F4 tornado that struck Midway, Indiana, between [[Goshen, Indiana|Goshen]] and [[Dunlap, Indiana|Dunlap]]
 | duration               = April 10–12, 1965
}}{{Infobox weather event/Tornado outbreak 
 | lowest pressure      = 
 | lowest temperature   = 
 | tornadoes            = [[List of tornadoes in the 1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak|55 confirmed]]
 | fujita-scale          = F4
 | duration     = 1 day and 16 hours
 | winds                = 
 | hail                 = {{convert|2|in|cm|lk=on|abbr=on}} at seven locations on April 10–12<ref name="NCDCHail" />
 | gusts      = Non-tornadic – {{convert|80|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} at three locations on April 11<ref name="NCDCWind">{{harvnb|Storm Data Publication|1965|loc=[https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/listevents.jsp?eventType=%28C%29+Thunderstorm+Wind&beginDate_mm=04&beginDate_dd=10&beginDate_yyyy=1965&endDate_mm=04&endDate_dd=12&endDate_yyyy=1965&hailfilter=0.00&tornfilter=0&windfilter=000&sort=DT&submitbutton=Search&statefips=-999%2CALL Events reported between 04/10/1965 and 04/12/1965 (3 days)]}}</ref>
}}{{Infobox weather event/Effects
 | power outages        = 
 | fatalities           = 266 fatalities
 | injuries             = 3,662 injuries
 | damages              = $1.217 billion (1965 [[United States dollar|USD]]){{refn|group=nb|name=Losses|All losses are in 1965 USD unless otherwise noted.}}<ref name="NCDC">{{harvnb|Storm Data Publication|1965|loc=[https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/listevents.jsp?eventType=%28C%29+Tornado&beginDate_mm=04&beginDate_dd=10&beginDate_yyyy=1965&endDate_mm=04&endDate_dd=12&endDate_yyyy=1965&hailfilter=0.00&tornfilter=0&windfilter=000&sort=DT&submitbutton=Search&statefips=-999%2CALL Events reported between 04/10/1965 and 04/12/1965 (3 days)]}}</ref><br />${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|1217000000|1965|r=-4}}}} ({{CURRENTYEAR}} USD)
 | affected             = [[Southern United States|Southern]] and [[Midwestern United States]] ([[Upland South]], [[Driftless Area]], and [[Great Lakes region]], primarily [[Indiana]], [[Ohio]], and [[Michigan]])
 | current advisories   = 
 | notes                = 
}}{{Infobox weather event/Footer
 | season               = [[Tornadoes of 1965|tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1965]]
}}
The '''1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak''' was a historic [[severe weather]] event that affected the Midwestern and Southeastern [[United States]] on April&nbsp;10–12, 1965. The [[tornado outbreak]] produced 55&nbsp;confirmed [[tornado]]es in one&nbsp;day and 16&nbsp;hours. The worst part of the outbreak occurred during the afternoon of April 11 into the overnight going into April 12. The second-largest [[tornado outbreak]] on record at the time, this deadly series of tornadoes inflicted a swath of destruction from [[Cedar County, Iowa]], to [[Cuyahoga County, Ohio]], and a swath {{convert|450|mi|km|0|disp=x| long (|)}} from [[Kent County, Michigan]], to [[Montgomery County, Indiana]]. The main part of the outbreak lasted 16&nbsp;hours and 35&nbsp;minutes and is among the most intense outbreaks, in terms of tornado strength, ever recorded, including at least four "double/twin funnel" tornadoes. In all, the outbreak killed 266 people, injured 3,662 others, and caused $1.217 billion (1965 [[United States dollar|USD]]) in damage.{{refn|group=nb|name=Outbreak|An [[tornado outbreak|outbreak]] is generally defined as a group of at least six tornadoes (the number sometimes varies slightly according to local climatology) with no more than a six-hour gap between individual tornadoes. An [[tornado outbreak sequence|outbreak sequence]], prior to (after) the start of modern records in 1950, is defined as a period of no more than two (one) consecutive days without at least one [[Fujita scale#Rating classifications|significant]] (F2 or stronger) tornado.<ref name=OutbreakClimo>{{cite conference |url=http://www.spc.noaa.gov/publications/schneider/otbrkseq.pdf |title=Tornado Outbreak Day Sequences: Historic Events and Climatology (1875–2003) |last1=Schneider |first1=Russell S. |last2=Brooks |first2=Harold E. |last3=Schaefer |first3=Joseph T. |author-link2=Harold E. Brooks |year=2004 |publisher=[[American Meteorological Society]] |location=Hyannis, Massachusetts |conference=22nd Conf. Severe Local Storms |conference-url=https://ams.confex.com/ams/11aram22sls/techprogram/programexpanded_230.htm |access-date=September 17, 2019}}</ref>}}{{refn|group=nb|name=Fujita|The [[Fujita scale]] was devised under the aegis of scientist [[Ted Fujita|T. Theodore Fujita]] in the early 1970s. Prior to the advent of the scale in 1971, tornadoes in the United States were officially unrated.{{sfn|Grazulis|1993|p=141}}{{sfn|Grazulis|2001a|p=[https://archive.org/details/tornadonaturesul0000graz/page/131 131]}} While the Fujita scale has been superseded by the [[Enhanced Fujita scale]] in the U.S. since February&nbsp;1, 2007,<ref name="EFscale">{{cite web|last1=Edwards|first1=Roger|title=Enhanced F Scale for Tornado Damage|url=http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/ef-scale.html|website=The Online Tornado FAQ (by Roger Edwards, SPC)|publisher=Storm Prediction Center|access-date=February 25, 2016|date=March 5, 2015}}</ref> Canada used the old scale until April&nbsp;1, 2013;<ref name="FscaleCanada">{{cite web |title=Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF-Scale) |url=https://www.ec.gc.ca/meteo-weather/default.asp?lang=En&n=41E875DA-1 |website=Environment and Climate Change Canada |access-date=February 25, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303220706/http://www.ec.gc.ca/meteo-weather/default.asp?lang=En&n=41E875DA-1 |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |date=June 6, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> nations elsewhere, like the United Kingdom, apply other classifications such as the [[TORRO scale]].<ref name="TORROscale">{{cite web|title=The International Tornado Intensity Scale |url=http://www.torro.org.uk/tscale.php |website=Tornado and Storm Research Organisation |access-date=February 25, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305120332/http://www.torro.org.uk/tscale.php |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |year=2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>}}{{refn|group=nb|name=Count|Historically, the number of tornadoes globally and in the United States was and is likely underrepresented: research by Grazulis on annual tornado activity suggests that, as of 2001, only 53% of yearly U.S. tornadoes were officially recorded. 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.{{sfn|Grazulis|2001a|pp=[https://archive.org/details/tornadonaturesul0000graz/page/251 251]–[https://archive.org/details/tornadonaturesul0000graz/page/254 4]}} Most countries only recorded tornadoes that produced severe damage or loss of life.<ref name="TornadoClimaFAQ">{{cite web|last1=Edwards|first1=Roger|title=The Online Tornado FAQ (by Roger Edwards, SPC)|url=http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/#Climatology|website=Storm Prediction Center: Frequently Asked Questions about Tornadoes|publisher=[[Storm Prediction Center]]|access-date=February 25, 2016|date=March 5, 2015}}</ref> Significant low biases in U.S. tornado counts likely occurred through the early 1990s, when advanced [[NEXRAD]] was first installed and the [[National Weather Service]] began comprehensively verifying tornado occurrences.{{sfn|Cook|Schaefer|2008|p=3135}}}}

In 2023, tornado expert [[Thomas P. Grazulis]] created the [[outbreak intensity score]] (OIS) as a way to rank various tornado outbreaks. The 1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak received an OIS of 238, making it the fourth-worst tornado outbreak in recorded history.<ref name="GrazulisBook">{{cite book |last1=Grazulis |first1=Thomas P. |author1-link=Thomas P. Grazulis |title=Significant Tornadoes 1974–2022 |date=2023 |publisher=The Tornado Project |location=[[St. Johnsbury, Vermont]] |isbn=978-1-879362-01-7 |page=637}}</ref>

==Meteorological synopsis==
A vigorous [[extratropical cyclone]] centered over the northeastern [[High Plains (United States)|High Plains]], in the region of [[the Dakotas]], was the primary catalyst for widespread severe weather on April&nbsp;11, 1965. As early as the preceding day, a strong [[jet stream]] in the upper two-thirds of the [[troposphere]] traversed the southern [[Great Plains]] and was responsible for an outbreak of tornadoes from the [[Kansas]]–[[Missouri]] border to [[Central Arkansas]], including a [[Fujita scale#Rating classifications|violent]] F4 tornado that struck the town of [[Conway, Arkansas|Conway]] in [[Faulkner County, Arkansas]], killing six&nbsp;people and injuring 200.<ref name="NWSNrnIndiana">{{cite web |author1=Blake Naftel |author2=Jon Chamberlain |author3=Becky Monroe |author4=Ed Lacey Jr. |author5=Dick Loney |title=April 11th 1965 Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak |url=https://www.weather.gov/iwx/1965_palmsunday_50 |website=Northern Indiana [[List of National Weather Service Weather Forecast Offices|Weather Forecast Office]] |publisher=National Weather Service |access-date=14 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404011605/https://www.weather.gov/iwx/1965_palmsunday_50 |archive-date=4 April 2015 |location=[[Syracuse, Indiana]] |date=2015}}</ref><ref name="NWSDetroit">{{cite web |last1=Deedler |first1=William R. |title=Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak April 11th, 1965 |url=https://www.weather.gov/dtx/palmsunday |website=[[Detroit]]/[[Pontiac, Michigan|Pontiac, MI]] Weather Forecast Office |publisher=National Weather Service |access-date=14 December 2020 |location=[[White Lake Township, Michigan|White Lake, Michigan]] |date=April 2015 |orig-year=2005 }}</ref> The following morning, at 7:00&nbsp;a.m. [[Central Time Zone|CDT]] (12:00&nbsp;[[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]]), data from [[radiosonde]]s indicated wind speeds of {{convert|120|–|150|kn|mi/h km/h|lk=on|abbr=on}} between the altitudes of {{convert|18000|–|30000|ft|m|lk=on|abbr=on}} over the [[Sonoran Desert|Sonoran]]–[[Chihuahua Desert|Chihuahua]] Deserts and the [[Arizona/New Mexico Mountains ecoregion|Arizona/New Mexico Mountains]]. Meanwhile, at {{convert|10000|ft|m|abbr=on}}, winds of {{convert|70|kn|mi/h km/h|abbr=on}} impinged on the southern [[Great Plains]]. Retreating northward, a [[warm front]] interacted with a [[shortwave (meteorology)|shortwave]] to produce isolated [[thunderstorm]]s from northern Missouri and [[Central Illinois]] to the [[Lower Peninsula of Michigan]].<ref name="NWSDetroit" />{{sfn|Fujita|Bradbury|1970|pp=30–1}}
[[File:Upper air analysis at 00 UTC on 12 April 1965.gif|thumb|left|Synoptic-scale upper-air analysis late on April 11, 1965]]
The well-defined [[low-pressure area|surface cyclone]] over the High Plains intensified as it headed into [[Iowa]], its central pressure decreasing from {{convert|990|to|985|mb|inHg|lk=on|abbr=on|sigfig=4}} by 1:00&nbsp;p.m. CDT (18:00&nbsp;UTC). As the warm [[Weather front|front]] bisected central Iowa and stretched into Illinois and Indiana, a [[cold front]] and very dry air aloft—indicative of a potent [[Capping inversion|elevated mixed layer]]—departed from eastern [[Kansas]].{{sfn|Fujita|Bradbury|1970|pp=30–1}} Strong winds transported steep [[lapse rate]]s within the elevated mixed layer eastward across the [[Great Plains]]. Concomitant destabilization of the atmosphere occurred over the [[warm sector]] due to abundant sunshine from the elevated mixed layer.<ref name=NWSNrnIndiana /><ref name=NWSDetroit /> High temperatures ranged from {{convert|83|to|85|F|C|lk=on|abbr=on}} from [[Chicago]] to [[St. Louis]].{{sfn|Fujita|Bradbury|1970|pp=30–1}}<ref name="blakenaftel">{{cite web |last1=Naftel |first1=Blake |title=The Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak - April 11, 1965 |url=http://homepages.wmich.edu/~b1naftel/outbreak65.html |website=The Palm Sunday Outbreak |publisher=[[Western Michigan University]] |access-date=16 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050408053551/http://homepages.wmich.edu/~b1naftel/outbreak65.html |archive-date=8 April 2005 |location=[[Kalamazoo, Michigan]] |date=3 April 2005}}</ref> Simultaneously, a strong low-level jet stream brought a moistening air mass northward: [[dew point]]s of at least {{convert|60|F|C|lk=on|abbr=on}} reached southernmost Illinois and Indiana by 10:00&nbsp;a.m. CDT (15:00&nbsp;UTC).<ref name=NWSNrnIndiana /><ref name=NWSDetroit />{{sfn|Fujita|Bradbury|1970|pp=30–1}} Meanwhile, a pronounced [[dry line]]-like boundary near the cold front moved into eastern sections of [[Arkansas]] and [[Missouri]].{{sfn|Fujita|Bradbury|1970|pp=30–1}} Weather stations from [[Topeka, Kansas|Topeka]], Kansas, to [[Peoria, Illinois|Peoria]], Illinois, showed very strong [[Wind shear#Vertical component|vertical shear]] that favored intense [[Thermal wind#Advection turning|low-level convergence]]—combined with a moist [[dew point]] in the warm sector, an environment favorable for [[supercell]] thunderstorms.{{sfn|Fujita|Bradbury|1970|pp=30–1}}
[[File:Great Lakes surface weather analysis at 00 UTC on 12 April 1965.png|thumb|right|[[Surface weather analysis]] showing weather features late on April 11, 1965]]
A [[weather balloon]] launched from [[Dodge City, Kansas]] recorded winds of {{convert|185|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}} aloft; another at [[Peoria, Illinois]], subsequently measured {{convert|135|kn|mi/h km/h|abbr=on}}.{{sfn|Kutschenreuter|Fox|1965|p=1}}<ref name="NWSNrnIndiana" /> Minimum dew points of {{convert|60|F|C|abbr=on}} reached as far north as southern Michigan by mid afternoon. Volatile atmospheric conditions led to [[thunderstorm]] activity over eastern Iowa by 1:40–48&nbsp;p.m. CDT (18:40–48&nbsp;UTC), the first supercell of which produced the initial tornado of the day.<ref name=NWSDetroit /><ref name=NWSNrnIndiana />{{sfn|Fujita|Bradbury|1970|p=52}} By 6:00&nbsp;p.m. CDT (23:00&nbsp;UTC), instability reached record proportions for the time of year over a wide area, with [[convective available potential energy]] (CAPE) of at least 1,000 [[Heat capacity|J/kg]] in the [[mixed layer]] over much of Indiana and southernmost Michigan. Record-breaking ambient vertical [[Wind shear#Effects on thunderstorms and severe weather|wind shear]] in the lowest {{convert|6|km|mi ft m|lk=on|abbr=on}} of the atmosphere facilitated the explosive development of long-lived [[mesocyclone]]s and thus long-tracked [[tornado family|tornado families]]. The very strong shear and rapid forward speed of the storms—up to {{convert|70|mi/h|km/h|lk=on|abbr=on}} in some cases—may have enhanced the formation of cyclic supercells and could account for numerous reports of multiple mesocyclones and twin tornadoes, including the famous "twin tornadoes" near [[Elkhart, Indiana|Elkhart]], Indiana; similar conditions yielded the Tri-State Tornado, the longest-tracked and deadliest in U.S. history, on [[Tri-State Tornado|March&nbsp;18, 1925]].<ref name=NWSNrnIndiana />{{sfn|Fujita|Bradbury|1970|p=33}}

At 11:45&nbsp;a.m. CDT (16:45&nbsp;UTC) on April&nbsp;11, the [[Storm Prediction Center#History|Severe Local Storms Unit]] (SELS) in [[Kansas City, Missouri]], issued an [[Storm Prediction Center#Convective outlooks|outlook]] that mentioned the possibility of tornadoes from northeastern Missouri to the northernmost two-thirds of Indiana.{{refn|group=nb|name=Outlook|This was known as a ''Severe Weather Forecast'' at the time.<ref name="Heidorn">{{cite web |last1=Heidorn |first1=Keith C. |title=1965 Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak Part I: The Beginning |url=http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/events/1965palmsun_torn.htm |website=The Weather Doctor |publisher=Islandnet.com |access-date=14 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724053210/http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/events/1965palmsun_torn.htm |archive-date=24 July 2019 |location=[[Valemount]], [[British Columbia]] |date=14 September 2010 |orig-year=2007}}</ref>}} At 2:00&nbsp;p.m. CDT (19:00&nbsp;UTC)—fifteen minutes after the first tornado was spotted—the first [[tornado watch]] of the day was issued, covering portions of northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin.<ref name="NWSNrnIndiana" />{{sfn|Kutschenreuter|Fox|1965|loc=Annex 2|p=2}} A total of four watches were issued on April&nbsp;11–12.{{refn|group=nb|name=Watch|At the time tornado watches were called tornado forecasts; SELS only began using the former terminology in 1966, after the Palm Sunday event. Respondents to a post-event survey noted that they confused tornado warnings with tornado forecasts; in turn, this contributed to the high death toll on April 11–12.{{sfn|Kutschenreuter|Fox|1965|p=6}}<ref name="NWSGRR">{{cite web |title=The Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak of 1965 in West Michigan |url=https://www.weather.gov/grr/1965PalmSundayTornado |website=[[Grand Rapids, Michigan|Grand Rapids, MI]] Weather Forecast Office |publisher=National Weather Service |access-date=16 December 2020 |location=Grand Rapids, Michigan}}</ref>{{sfn|Grazulis|2001a|p=[https://archive.org/details/tornadonaturesul0000graz/page/91 91]}}<ref name="Heidorn-2">{{cite web |last1=Heidorn |first1=Keith C. |title=1965 Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak Part III: Last Strikes and Aftermath |url=http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/events/1965palmsun_torn3.htm |website=The Weather Doctor |publisher=Islandnet.com |access-date=17 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309181332/http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/events/1965palmsun_torn3.htm |archive-date=9 March 2016 |location=[[Valemount]], [[British Columbia]] |date=14 September 2010 |orig-year=2007}}</ref>}}<ref name=NWSLOT-1>{{cite web|last1=Eagan|first1=Shane|date=April 2015|title=50th Anniversary of the 1965 Palm Sunday Outbreak|url=https://www.weather.gov/lot/Palm_Sunday_Outbreak|website=Chicago, IL Weather Forecast Office|publisher=National Weather Service|access-date=16 December 2020|location=[[Romeoville, Illinois]]}}</ref> {{citation needed span|text=Radio news reporter Martin Jensen, then stationed at the [[WMT (AM)|WMT Station]] in [[Cedar Rapids, Iowa|Cedar Rapids]], reported the first tornado of the day forming at 1:45&nbsp;p.m. CDT (18:45&nbsp;UTC). The station was equipped with a Collins Radio aviation radar mounted on the roof of the station building and was used to support severe weather reports on local and regional newscasts. After detecting the severe thunderstorm, the reporter called Weather Bureau offices in [[Waterloo, Iowa|Waterloo]] (which had no radar) and [[Des Moines, Iowa|Des Moines]] to alert them about the storm. The phone call became the first hard evidence for the Weather Bureau regarding the growing threat of severe storms that spawned dozens of tornadoes over the next 12&nbsp;hours.|date=May 2015}} For the first time in the [[National Weather Service|U.S. Weather Bureau]]'s history, an entire Weather Bureau [[List of National Weather Service Weather Forecast Offices|Office]]'s jurisdiction, in [[Northern Indiana]], was under a [[tornado warning]]; this was termed a "blanket tornado warning" and was later used by several National Weather Service (NWS) offices on [[1974 Super Outbreak|April&nbsp;3, 1974]].{{sfn|Kutschenreuter|Fox|1965|loc=Annex 2|p=6}}<ref name=blakenaftel />{{sfn|NWS|1974|p=18}}
{{clear}}

==Confirmed tornadoes==
{{main|List of tornadoes in the 1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak}}
{{Tornado Chart | Total=55 | FU = 0| F0 = 1| F1 = 16| F2 = 14| F3 = 6| F4 = 18| F5 = 0| Enhanced=no}}
{{clear}}

===Lakewood–Crystal Lake–Burtons Bridge–Island Lake, Illinois===
{{Infobox weather event
| name = Lakewood–Crystal Lake–Burtons Bridge–Island Lake, Illinois
| image                = 
| caption              = 
| duration             = 22 minutes
| formed               = April 11, 3:20 p.m. [[Central Time Zone|CDT]] ([[UTC−05:00]])
| dissipated           = April 11, 3:42 p.m. [[Central Time Zone|CDT]] ([[UTC−05:00]])
}}{{Infobox weather event/Tornado
| path-length          = {{convert|9.10|mi|km}}
| winds                = {{convert|207-260|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| fujita-scale         = F4
}}{{Infobox weather event/Effects
| fatalities           = 6
| injuries             = 75
| damages              = $1.5 million (1965 [[USD]])<ref name="List1"/>
| affected             = [[McHenry County, Illinois|McHenry County]], [[Lake County, Illinois|Lake County]], in the Chicago suburbs
}}{{Infobox weather event/Footer}}
This devastating tornado was first detected at 3:27 p.m. CDT (21:27&nbsp;UTC), but officially touched down seven&nbsp;minutes earlier, in Lakewood. At that time the tornado first produced visible damage at the Crystal Lake Country Club; two&nbsp;[[fir]]s on the [[golf course]] were prostrated. Initially narrow, the tornado subsequently and rapidly widened to {{convert|1300|ft|m}}. Crossing Nash Street and McHenry Avenue in [[Crystal Lake, Illinois|Crystal Lake]], the tornado unroofed or severely damaged several houses. Alongside [[U.S. Route 14 in Illinois#Route description|U.S. Route 14]] the tornado claimed its first fatality, a man in a barn. Nearby gas stations and a [[strip mall]] were damaged. At the latter place, a roof sheltering a [[Piggly Wiggly]] and a [[Neisner's]] collapsed, trapping 20&nbsp;or more people below. The tornado tossed cars about in the parking lot as well. Shortly afterward, the tornado struck the Colby subdivision, destroying or severely damaging 155&nbsp;homes. F4-level damage occurred as several homes were completely swept off their foundations. Four&nbsp;deaths occurred in the neighborhood, including three in one&nbsp;family (the Holter family) whose home was obliterated. Their bodies were located two&nbsp;blocks distant and a [[pickup truck]] was found to have landed in the basement. The tornado scattered debris from the Colby subdivision up to a {{convert|1/2|mile|km|spell=in}} away.

After ravaging the Colby neighborhood, the tornado destroyed several warehouses and shattered windows. A diesel plant, a wallpaper factory, and a manufacturer sustained damage ranging from light to heavy. The tornado then extensively damaged the Orchard Acres subdivision, crossed [[Illinois Route 31#Route description|Illinois Route 31]], and apparently weakened before impacting farmland. A few barns and isolated trees were damaged. The tornado may have dissipated and reformed as a new tornado near the [[Fox River (Illinois River tributary)|Fox River]]. The tornado also struck the community of [[Burtons Bridge, Illinois|Burtons Bridge]]. The tornado, now {{convert|500|to|800|yd|m}} wide, then restrengthened and felled mature oak trees as it crested a precipitous hill before striking Bay View Beach. There the tornado badly damaged several homes and downed [[willow]] trees. Finally, the tornado intersected [[Illinois Route 176#Route description|Illinois Route 176]] and produced its final swath of significant damage in Island Lake. In Island Lake the tornado tossed boats ashore, wrecked piers, and caused homes to collapse, resulting in one&nbsp;additional death. The tornado also displaced several homes from their foundations. The tornado neared [[U.S. Route 12 in Illinois#Route Description|U.S. Route 12]] as it dissipated at 3:42&nbsp;p.m. CST (21:42&nbsp;UTC). Damage estimates were set at about $1.5&nbsp;million.<ref name="List1">Multiple sources:
*{{cite magazine |last=Allsopp |first=Jim |date=Spring 2005 |title=40th anniversary of the Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak |url=http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/lot/newsletter/spring2005/spring05.doc |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304121951/http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/lot/newsletter/spring2005/spring05.doc |archive-date=4 March 2016 |magazine=NWS Chicago Newsletter |location=Romeoville, Illinois |publisher=National Weather Service |access-date=18 December 2020}}
*{{cite web|last1=Eagan|first1=Shane|date=April 2015|title=50th Anniversary of the 1965 Palm Sunday Outbreak|url=https://www.weather.gov/lot/Palm_Sunday_Outbreak|website=Chicago, IL Weather Forecast Office|publisher=National Weather Service|access-date=16 December 2020|location=[[Romeoville, Illinois]]}}
*{{cite web |title=1965 Palm Sunday Tornado |website=Crystal Lake Historical Society |access-date=17 December 2020 |url=http://cl-hs.org/11.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161219051406/http://cl-hs.org/11.html |archive-date=19 December 2016 |location=[[Crystal Lake, Illinois]]}}
*{{harvnb|Grazulis|1993|p=1063}}
*{{cite web |last1=Heidorn |first1=Keith C. |title=1965 Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak Part I: The Beginning |url=http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/events/1965palmsun_torn.htm |website=The Weather Doctor |publisher=Islandnet.com |access-date=14 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724053210/http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/events/1965palmsun_torn.htm |archive-date=24 July 2019 |location=[[Valemount]], [[British Columbia]] |date=14 September 2010 |orig-year=2007}}
</ref>
{{clear}}

===Wakarusa–Northern Goshen–Midway–Middlebury, Indiana===
{{Infobox weather event
| name = Wakarusa–Northern Goshen–Midway–Middlebury, Indiana
| image = Color Image of the 1965 palm sunday tornado outbreak.jpg
| caption = The tornado displaying its most infamous form: Double vortices while crossing a road. Flying debris can easily be seen as it was ripping apart the Midway Trailer Court at F4 intensity.
| duration = 42 minutes
| formed = April 11, 5:15 p.m. [[Central Time Zone|CDT]] ([[UTC−05:00]])
| dissipated = 
}}{{Infobox weather event/Tornado
| fujita-scale = F4
| winds = {{convert|207-260|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
}}{{Infobox weather event/Effects
| fatalities = 31
| injuries = 252
| affected = [[Wakarusa, Indiana|Wakarusa]], [[Goshen, Indiana|Goshen]], [[Midway, Elkhart County, Indiana|Midway]], [[Middlebury, Indiana|Middlebury]]
}}{{Infobox weather event/Footer}}
This was the most famous and well-publicized of the Palm Sunday tornadoes, often remembered as the first of two&nbsp;F4 tornadoes to hit the Dunlap (Elkhart)–Goshen area. It formed near the [[St. Joseph County, Indiana|St. Joseph]]–[[Elkhart County, Indiana|Elkhart County]] border and tracked northeastward, striking Wakarusa, where it caused severe damage and killed a child. The tornado then intensified significantly as it moved toward northern [[Goshen, Indiana|Goshen]] and the Midway Trailer Court. As it neared the trailer park, ''[[Elkhart Truth]]'' reporter Paul Huffman, then reporting on severe weather, overheard a report of a tornado approaching his position on [[U.S. Route 33 in Indiana#Route description|U.S. Route 33]], about {{convert|1|mi|km}} south of Midway. As Huffman and his wife Betty awaited the storm, he noticed the tornado approaching from the southwest, so he began taking a series of photographs, six&nbsp;in all. The photographs captured the evolution of the storm into twin funnels as it struck the trailer park, with each funnel gyrating around a central point yet only producing one&nbsp;damage swath. The tornado struck the trailer park at 6:32&nbsp;p.m. CDT (23:32&nbsp;UTC). (Roughly 45&nbsp;minutes later, another F4 tornado passed just to the north of the Midway Trailer Court, splitting into yet another pair of funnels as it struck the Sunnyside neighborhood in [[Dunlap, Indiana|Dunlap]].) The tornado obliterated roughly 80% of the trailer park, with 10&nbsp;deaths, and caused F4 damage to numerous other homes near Middlebury, some of which were swept clean. Three&nbsp;more people died in the Middlebury area before the tornado ended. Unofficial estimates of the death toll vary, with Grazulis listing 14&nbsp;deaths instead of the 31&nbsp;appearing in the official [[National Climatic Data Center]]/[[National Centers for Environmental Information]] (NCDC/NCEI) database. An [[fixed-wing aircraft|airplane]] wing from [[Goshen Municipal Airport|Goshen Airport]] was found {{convert|35|mi|km}} away in [[Centreville, Michigan]].<ref name="List2">Multiple sources:
*{{cite web |last1=Naftel |first1=Blake |title=The Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak - April 11, 1965 |url=http://homepages.wmich.edu/~b1naftel/outbreak65.html |website=The Palm Sunday Outbreak |publisher=[[Western Michigan University]] |access-date=16 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050408053551/http://homepages.wmich.edu/~b1naftel/outbreak65.html |archive-date=8 April 2005 |location=[[Kalamazoo, Michigan]] |date=3 April 2005}}
*{{harvnb|Grazulis|1993|p=1063}}
*{{harvnb|Fujita|Bradbury|1970|p=38}}
*{{cite web |author1=Blake Naftel |author2=Jon Chamberlain |author3=Becky Monroe |author4=Ed Lacey Jr. |author5=Dick Loney |title=April 11th 1965 Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak |url=https://www.weather.gov/iwx/1965_palmsunday_50 |website=Northern Indiana [[List of National Weather Service Weather Forecast Offices|Weather Forecast Office]] |publisher=National Weather Service |access-date=14 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404011605/https://www.weather.gov/iwx/1965_palmsunday_50 |archive-date=4 April 2015 |location=[[Syracuse, Indiana]] |date=2015}}
*{{cite web |last1=Heidorn |first1=Keith C. |title=1965 Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak Part II: Sunday Evening |url=http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/events/1965palmsun_torn2.htm |website=The Weather Doctor |publisher=Islandnet.com |access-date=20 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303222429/http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/events/1965palmsun_torn2.htm |archive-date=3 March 2016 |location=Valemount, British Columbia |date=14 September 2010 |orig-year=2007}}
</ref>
{{clear}}

===Orland, Indiana/Coldwater Lake–Southern Hillsdale–Manitou Beach–Devils Lake–Southern Tecumseh, Michigan (two tornadoes)===
{{Infobox storm
 | name                 = Orland, Indiana/Coldwater Lake–Southern Hillsdale–Manitou Beach–Devils Lake–Southern Tecumseh, Michigan (two tornadoes)
 | tornadoes            = 2
 | fujitascale          = F4
 | image                = Manitou Beach and Devils Lake after the passage of the F4 tornadoes on April 11, 1965.jpg
 | alt                  = Broken, twisted trees, scattered debris, and wrecked buildings
 | caption              = Destruction in the Coldwater area after the F4 tornadoes of April 11, 1965
 | damages              = $32 million (1965 USD)<br>${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|32,000,000|1965|r=-4}}}} ({{CURRENTYEAR}} USD)
 | total fatalities     = 44 fatalities, 587 injuries
 | enhanced             = no
}}
With the telephone lines down, emergency services in [[Elkhart County, Indiana]], could not warn [[Michigan]] residents that the tornadoes were headed their way. From the [[Detroit Metropolitan Airport]], the radar operator at the [[National Weather Service#History|U.S. Weather Bureau]] Office (WBO) observed that the thunderstorms over Northern Indiana and western Lower Michigan were moving east-northeastward at {{convert|70|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}. Of the southernmost counties of Michigan, all but three—[[Berrien County, Michigan|Berrien]], [[Cass County, Michigan|Cass]], and [[St. Joseph County, Michigan|St. Joseph]]—were hit.

Starting just south of the Indiana-Michigan state line, near [[Orland, Indiana|Orland]], the first, deadliest, and strongest of two&nbsp;massive tornadoes, each rated F4, debarked trees and leveled homes on the shoreline of Lake Pleasant in Steuben County. Crossing into Branch County, Michigan, the tornado damaged more homes in [[Gilead Township, Michigan|East Gilead]]. The tornado was up to {{convert|1|mi|km}} wide as it obliterated homes on [[Coldwater Lake (Michigan)|Coldwater Lake]]; 18&nbsp;deaths occurred there. Debris from the empty foundations was strewn over the surface of the lake and deposited in a small cove. The tornado destroyed 200&nbsp;homes and caused one&nbsp;additional death as it traversed Branch County. After striking Coldwater Lake, the tornado widened even further, up to {{convert|2|mi|km}} across, destroying a century-old farmhouse and killing a family of six near [[Reading, Michigan|Reading]]. The tornado then narrowed back to {{convert|1|mi|km}} as it struck [[St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan)#Description of the watershed|Baw Beese Lake]], near the southern edge of [[Hillsdale, Michigan|Hillsdale]]. The tornado hurled a [[New York Central Railroad]] freight train into Baw Beese Lake. Across Hillsdale County the tornado killed 11&nbsp;or more people and destroyed 177&nbsp;homes.

Entering [[Lenawee County, Michigan|Lenawee County]], the tornado traversed the [[Irish Hills]] and approached [[Manitou Beach–Devils Lake, Michigan|Manitou Beach–Devils Lake]]. As it struck Manitou Beach–Devils Lake, the tornado destroyed the Manitou Beach Baptist Church; of the 50&nbsp;people then in attendance for [[Palm Sunday]] services, 26&nbsp;failed to reach shelter in time and were stranded beneath debris for up to two&nbsp;hours. Eight&nbsp;fatalities occurred in the church. The local dance pavilion on Devils Lake was demolished, having recently been rebuilt after a fire on Labor Day in 1963. One of the tornadoes damaged parts of [[Onsted, Michigan|Onsted]]; in the nearby village of [[Franklin Township, Lenawee County, Michigan#Communities|Tipton]], which suffered a direct hit, 94% of the town's buildings were damaged or destroyed. Across Lenawee County the tornado destroyed 189&nbsp;homes. About 30&nbsp;minutes later, the Manitou Beach–Devils Lake area in Lenawee County was hit by the second of the two tornadoes, causing numerous fatalities, including a family of six&nbsp;in eastern Lenawee County who had survived the first tornado. Many homes were hit twice.

One&nbsp;or both F4 tornadoes struck the [[Milan, Michigan|then-Village of Milan]], south of [[Ann Arbor, Michigan|Ann Arbor]]. The Wolverine Plastics building on the Monroe County side of town, then the top employer in the village, was destroyed with the roof being completely removed in the process. The Milan Junior High School was seriously damaged along with the adjacent, senior high school, disused since 1958, at Hurd and North streets, on the Washtenaw County side of Milan. Milan became a city in 1967; opened a new Middle School in 1969, which replaced the old Junior High School; and eventually demolished the 1900 building that housed the former junior and senior high schools.

The first of the F4 tornadoes produced a {{convert|151|mi/h|km/h|adj=on}} wind gust at [[Tecumseh, Michigan|Tecumseh]]—the highest wind measurement in a tornado until a measurement of {{convert|276|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} near [[Red Rock, Oklahoma]], on [[1991 Andover, Kansas tornado outbreak|April 26, 1991]]; a higher measurement of {{convert|301|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}—later corrected to {{convert|321|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}—in the [[1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado|F5 tornado]] of [[1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak|May&nbsp;3, 1999]], broke this record. Damage from the two tornadoes was difficult to separate and covered more than {{convert|2|to|4|mi|km}} across, including much [[downburst]] and [[microburst]] destruction. Total damage estimates from the two tornadoes were $32 million with more than 550 homes, a church, and 100 cottages destroyed.<ref name="List3">Multiple sources:
*{{harvnb|Fujita|Bradbury|1970|pp=38–9}}
*{{cite web |last1=Naftel |first1=Blake |title=The Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak - April 11, 1965 |url=http://homepages.wmich.edu/~b1naftel/outbreak65.html |website=The Palm Sunday Outbreak |publisher=[[Western Michigan University]] |access-date=16 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050408053551/http://homepages.wmich.edu/~b1naftel/outbreak65.html |archive-date=8 April 2005 |location=[[Kalamazoo, Michigan]] |date=3 April 2005}}
*{{harvnb|Grazulis|1993|p=1065}}
*{{harvnb|Grazulis|1993|p=1066}}
*{{harvnb|Storm Data|1965|p=35}}
*{{cite web |last1=Heidorn |first1=Keith C. |title=1965 Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak Part II: Sunday Evening |url=http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/events/1965palmsun_torn2.htm |website=The Weather Doctor |publisher=Islandnet.com |access-date=20 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303222429/http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/events/1965palmsun_torn2.htm |archive-date=3 March 2016 |location=Valemount, British Columbia |date=14 September 2010 |orig-year=2007}}
*{{cite web |author1=Blake Naftel |author2=Jon Chamberlain |author3=Becky Monroe |author4=Ed Lacey Jr. |author5=Dick Loney |title=April 11th 1965 Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak |url=https://www.weather.gov/iwx/1965_palmsunday_50 |website=Northern Indiana [[List of National Weather Service Weather Forecast Offices|Weather Forecast Office]] |publisher=National Weather Service |access-date=14 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404011605/https://www.weather.gov/iwx/1965_palmsunday_50 |archive-date=4 April 2015 |location=[[Syracuse, Indiana]] |date=2015}}
*{{cite web |title=The Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak of 1965 in West Michigan |url=https://www.weather.gov/grr/1965PalmSundayTornado |website=[[Grand Rapids, Michigan|Grand Rapids, MI]] Weather Forecast Office |publisher=National Weather Service |access-date=16 December 2020 |location=Grand Rapids, Michigan}}
*{{cite journal|last1=Burgess|first1=D.|last2=Magsig|first2=M.|last3=Wurman|first3=J.|last4=Dowell|first4=D.|last5=Richardson|first5=Y.|author-link1=Donald W. Burgess|author-link3=Joshua Wurman|author-link4=David Dowell|title=Radar Observations of the 3 May 1999 Oklahoma City Tornado|journal=Weather and Forecasting|year=2002|volume=17|issue=3|pages=456–471|doi=10.1175/1520-0434(2002)017<0456:ROOTMO>2.0.CO;2|bibcode=2002WtFor..17..456B|doi-access=free}}
</ref>
{{clear}}

===Southern Elkhart–Dunlap, Indiana===
{{Infobox storm
 | name                 = Southern Elkhart–Dunlap, Indiana
 | fujitascale          = F4
 | image                = Sunnyside subdivision in Dunlap, Indiana, following the F4 tornado of April 11, 1965.jpg
 | alt                  = Aerial view showing wreckage and debris from destroyed homes
 | caption              = Aerial view of the Sunnyside subdivision in Dunlap, Indiana, after the F4 tornado of April 11, 1965.
 | total fatalities     = 36 fatalities, 321 injuries
 | enhanced             = no
}}
[[File:Palmsundayalltornadoes.jpg|thumb|left|220px|Tornado tracks over [[Northern Indiana]], [[Southern Michigan]], and extreme Northwest [[Ohio]], indicating ratings on the [[Fujita scale]]]]
This was the second and deadliest of two violent tornadoes to strike the Elkhart–Goshen area, with the highest single-tornado death toll in the outbreak. It hit Dunlap about an hour after another F4 tornado hit the Midway trailer park a short distance to the southeast. Few people received warning due to the passage of the earlier storm, which disrupted communications and downed power lines, thereby affecting rescue efforts after the earlier tornado as well. The Dunlap tornado first produced tree damage beginning just west of [[Indiana State Road 331#Route description|State Road 331]]. Prior to crossing the St. Joseph–Elkhart county line, the tornado claimed its first two&nbsp;fatalities. As the tornado neared Dunlap, it intensified into an extremely violent tornado. It then devastated the Sunnyside Housing addition and the unoccupied Sunnyside Mennonite Church. The Sunnyside subdivision was completely destroyed, with many homes swept away. The Kingston Heights subdivision was similarly devastated. The death toll from the two subdivisions was 28&nbsp;people, with another six killed in a home and truck stop at the junction of [[Indiana State Road 15#Route description|State Road 15]] and [[U.S. Route 20 in Indiana#South Bend to Ohio|U.S. Route 20]]. The Palm Sunday Tornado Memorial Park now exists near this location, at the corner of County Road 45 and Cole Street in Dunlap ({{coord|41.641522|-85.925157|type:city_region:US|format=dms|display=inline}}). After striking Dunlap, the tornado apparently weakened somewhat, but still generated extensive damage eastward to Hunter Lake. Shortly before dissipating, the tornado tossed cars off the [[Indiana Toll Road#Route description|Indiana Turnpike]] near Scott. Like the Midway tornado, the Dunlap event was also witnessed as twin funnels: a photographer standing amidst the wreckage of the Midway Trailer Court captured the Dunlap tornado as it passed just to the north. It may have been the strongest tornado on April&nbsp;11; in fact, Grazulis and other sources have assigned an F5 rating to the tornado, though it is officially rated F4.<ref name="List4">Multiple sources:
*{{harvnb|Grazulis|1993|p=1066}}
*{{harvnb|Lott|McCown|Ross|2000|p=13}}
*{{cite web |author1=Blake Naftel |author2=Jon Chamberlain |author3=Becky Monroe |author4=Ed Lacey Jr. |author5=Dick Loney |title=April 11th 1965 Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak |url=https://www.weather.gov/iwx/1965_palmsunday_50 |website=Northern Indiana [[List of National Weather Service Weather Forecast Offices|Weather Forecast Office]] |publisher=National Weather Service |access-date=14 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404011605/https://www.weather.gov/iwx/1965_palmsunday_50 |archive-date=4 April 2015 |location=[[Syracuse, Indiana]] |date=2015}}
*{{cite web |last1=Naftel |first1=Blake |title=The Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak - April 11, 1965 |url=http://homepages.wmich.edu/~b1naftel/outbreak65.html |website=The Palm Sunday Outbreak |publisher=[[Western Michigan University]] |access-date=16 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050408053551/http://homepages.wmich.edu/~b1naftel/outbreak65.html |archive-date=8 April 2005 |location=[[Kalamazoo, Michigan]] |date=3 April 2005}}
*{{harvnb|Fujita|Bradbury|1970|pp=36–7}}
*{{harvnb|Fujita|Bradbury|1970|p=38}}
</ref>
{{clear}}

===Russiaville–Alto–Southern Kokomo–Greentown–Southern Marion, Indiana===
{{Infobox storm
 | name                 = Russiaville–Alto–Southern Kokomo–Greentown–Southern Marion, Indiana
 | fujitascale          = F4
 | image                = Alto, Indiana, after the F4 tornado of April 11, 1965.jpg
 | alt                  = Aerial view showing wreckage, debris, and dismantled homes with farmland in the background
 | caption              = Aerial view of Alto, Indiana, following the F4 tornado of April 11, 1965.
 | damages              = $500.025 million (1965 USD)
 | total fatalities     = 25 fatalities, 835 injuries
 | enhanced             = no
}}

As the Lafayette–Middlefork tornado dissipated, a new tornado developed nearby without a definite break in the damage path. Due to changes in the intensity of the damage, surveyors split the path into two&nbsp;separate tornadoes. At about 7:28&nbsp;p.m. CDT (00:28&nbsp;UTC), the new, rapidly strengthening tornado hit [[Russiaville, Indiana|Russiaville]], causing severe damage to the entire community. The {{convert|3/4|mi|km|adj=mid|-wide}} tornado destroyed or damaged 90% of the community, though most of the damage ranged from F0–F3. The tornado then widened to {{convert|1|mi|km}} across as it moved into nearby [[Alto, Indiana|Alto]], causing F4-level damage to homes, before striking the southern edge of the larger city of [[Kokomo, Indiana|Kokomo]]. Collectively, the tornado destroyed 100&nbsp;homes in Alto and Kokomo. The Maple Crest apartment complex was unroofed and incurred the collapse of its uppermost walls. As the tornado continued eastward, it apparently intensified and killed ten&nbsp;people in [[Greentown, Indiana|Greentown]], most of whom had been in automobiles. The tornado destroyed 80&nbsp;homes, many of which it obliterated and swept away, as it struck multiple subdivisions in the Greentown area. In all, the tornado killed 18&nbsp;people and injured another 600&nbsp;in Howard County alone. Just south of [[Swayzee, Indiana|Swayzee]], the tornado leveled some more homes and caused three&nbsp;additional deaths. As it struck the southern outskirts of [[Marion, Indiana|Marion]], the tornado leveled a pair of homes, partly unroofed a [[United States Department of Veterans Affairs|Department of Veterans Affairs]] (VA) hospital, and wrecked the Panorama shopping center. 20&nbsp;injuries occurred at the VA hospital, and looters scavenged the shopping center. Several homes were destroyed and hundreds others damaged in Marion as well. The tornado killed five&nbsp;people as it traversed Grant County. Losses totaled $500.025&nbsp;million, $12 million&nbsp;alone of which occurred near Marion.<ref name="List5">Multiple sources:
*{{harvnb|Fujita|Bradbury|1970|p=40}}
*{{harvnb|Grazulis|1993|p=1066}}
</ref>
{{clear}}

===Pittsfield–Grafton–Strongsville, Ohio===
{{Infobox storm
 | name                 = Pittsfield–Grafton–Strongsville, Ohio
 | fujitascale          = F4
 | damages              = $50 million (1965 USD)<br>${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|50,000,000|1965|r=-4}}}} ({{CURRENTYEAR}} USD)
 | total fatalities     = 18 fatalities, 200 injuries
 | enhanced             = no
}}
Shortly after 11:00&nbsp;p.m. CDT (04:00&nbsp;UTC), a tornado touched down in [[Lorain County, Ohio]], and headed east-northeastward. Around 11:12&nbsp;p.m. CDT (04:12&nbsp;UTC), the {{convert|1/4|mi|km|adj=mid|-wide}} tornado struck [[Pittsfield Township, Lorain County, Ohio|Pittsfield, Ohio]], then located at the junction of [[Ohio State Route 303#Route description|Ohio State Route 303]] and [[Ohio State Route 58#History|Ohio State Road 58]]. Of the settlement's 50&nbsp;residents, the tornado killed seven. The tornado also killed two&nbsp;motorists whose arrival in town coincided with the tornadoes. According to the U.S. Weather Bureau Office (WBO) in [[Cleveland, Ohio]], the tornado produced "total" devastation as it struck Pittsfield. The tornado destroyed 12&nbsp;homes, six&nbsp;of which "literally vanished," along with a combined gas station/grocery store, a pair of churches, and the town hall. The tornado also toppled a statue at a [[American Civil War|Civil War]] monument, but the concrete base of the statue remained standing.

After ravaging Pittsfield, the tornado damaged 200&nbsp;homes in and near [[Grafton, Ohio|Grafton]], some of which indicated F2-level intensity. A total of 17&nbsp;homes were severely damaged in nearby [[LaGrange, Ohio|LaGrange]] and [[Columbia Township, Lorain County, Ohio|Columbia Station]]. As the tornado reached the [[Greater Cleveland|Cleveland metropolitan area]], it diverged into two paths about a {{convert|1/2|mi|km|spell=in}} apart. Several witnesses also saw two funnels merging into one, similar to the Midway–Dunlap tornadoes. Large trees situated {{convert|50|ft|m}} apart were found to have been felled in opposite directions. The tornado displayed borderline-F5-level damage in northernmost [[Strongsville, Ohio|Strongsville]]. There, 18&nbsp;homes were leveled, some of which were cleanly swept from their foundations, and 50&nbsp;others were severely damaged in town. Damages amounted to at least $5&nbsp;million and are officially listed as $50 million. Grazulis classified the tornado as an F5, but it is officially rated F4.<ref name="List6">Multiple sources:
*{{cite web |author1=Blake Naftel |author2=Jon Chamberlain |author3=Becky Monroe |author4=Ed Lacey Jr. |author5=Dick Loney |title=April 11th 1965 Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak |url=https://www.weather.gov/iwx/1965_palmsunday_50 |website=Northern Indiana [[List of National Weather Service Weather Forecast Offices|Weather Forecast Office]] |publisher=National Weather Service |access-date=14 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404011605/https://www.weather.gov/iwx/1965_palmsunday_50 |archive-date=4 April 2015 |location=[[Syracuse, Indiana]] |date=2015}}
*{{cite news |title=Tornado Rips County, 17 Die, 94 Injured |work=[[The Morning Journal|The Journal]] |issue=244 |date=April 12, 1965 |location=[[Lorain, Ohio]]}}
*{{cite news|title=As the Sun Rose...Just Rubble|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|date=April 13, 1965|location=Boston, Massachusetts}}
*{{cite web |last1=Naftel |first1=Blake |title=The Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak - April 11, 1965 |url=http://homepages.wmich.edu/~b1naftel/outbreak65.html |website=The Palm Sunday Outbreak |publisher=[[Western Michigan University]] |access-date=16 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050408053551/http://homepages.wmich.edu/~b1naftel/outbreak65.html |archive-date=8 April 2005 |location=[[Kalamazoo, Michigan]] |date=3 April 2005}}
*{{harvnb|Grazulis|1993|p=1072}}
*{{cite web |last1=Heidorn |first1=Keith C. |title=1965 Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak Part III: Last Strikes and Aftermath |url=http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/events/1965palmsun_torn3.htm |website=The Weather Doctor |publisher=Islandnet.com |access-date=17 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309181332/http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/events/1965palmsun_torn3.htm |archive-date=9 March 2016 |location=[[Valemount]], [[British Columbia]] |date=14 September 2010 |orig-year=2007}}
</ref>
{{clear}}

==Non-tornadic effects==
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0 0 0.5em 1em;float:right;"
|+Outbreak death toll<ref name="NCDC" />
|- 
!State
!Total
!County 
!County<br />total
|-
|rowspan=1 bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|[[Arkansas]]
|rowspan=1 bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|6
|[[Faulkner County, Arkansas|Faulkner]]
|6
|-
|rowspan=1 bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|[[Iowa]]
|rowspan=1 bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|1
|[[Cedar County, Iowa|Cedar]]
|1
|-
|rowspan=1 bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|[[Illinois]]
|rowspan=1 bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|6
|[[McHenry County, Illinois|McHenry]]
|6
|-
|rowspan=12 bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|[[Indiana]]
|rowspan=12 bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|137
|[[Adams County, Indiana|Adams]]
|1
|-
|[[Boone County, Indiana|Boone]]
|20
|-
|[[Elkhart County, Indiana|Elkhart]]
|62
|-
|[[Grant County, Indiana|Grant]]
|8
|-
|[[Hamilton County, Indiana|Hamilton]]
|6
|-
|[[Howard County, Indiana|Howard]]
|17
|-
|[[Lagrange County, Indiana|Lagrange]]
|10
|-
|[[Marshall County, Indiana|Marshall]]
|3
|-
|[[Montgomery County, Indiana|Montgomery]]
|2
|-
|[[St. Joseph County, Indiana|St. Joseph]]
|3
|-
|[[Starke County, Indiana|Starke]]
|4
|-
|[[Wells County, Indiana|Wells]]
|1
|-
|rowspan=7 bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|[[Michigan]]
|rowspan=7 bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|53
|[[Allegan County, Michigan|Allegan]]
|1
|-
|[[Branch County, Michigan|Branch]]
|18
|-
|[[Clinton County, Michigan|Clinton]]
|1
|-
|[[Hillsdale County, Michigan|Hillsdale]]
|6
|-
|[[Kent County, Michigan|Kent]]
|5
|-
|[[Lenawee County, Michigan|Lenawee]]
|9
|-
|[[Monroe County, Michigan|Monroe]]
|13
|-
|rowspan=9 bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|[[Ohio]]
|rowspan=9 bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|60
|[[Allen County, Ohio|Allen]]
|11
|-
|[[Cuyahoga County, Ohio|Cuyahoga]]
|1
|-
|[[Delaware County, Ohio|Delaware]]
|4
|-
|[[Hancock County, Ohio|Hancock]]
|2
|-
|[[Lorain County, Ohio|Lorain]]
|17
|-
|[[Lucas County, Ohio|Lucas]]
|16
|-
|[[Mercer County, Ohio|Mercer]]
|2
|-
|[[Seneca County, Ohio|Seneca]]
|4
|-
|[[Shelby County, Ohio|Shelby]]
|3
|-
|rowspan=1 bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|[[Wisconsin]]
|rowspan=1 bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|3
|[[Jefferson County, Wisconsin|Jefferson]]
|3
|-
|bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|Totals
|bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|266
|colspan=2|
|-
|colspan=4 align=center| <small>All deaths were tornado-related</small>
|-
|}

A vigorous, pre-frontal [[squall line]] generated [[severe thunderstorm]] winds from eastern Iowa to lakefront Illinois. Winds peaked at {{convert|70|kn|mi/h km/h|abbr=on}} in [[Dixon, Illinois]], and an [[anemometer]] at [[O'Hare International Airport]] in [[Chicago]] registered {{convert|60|kn|mi/h km/h|abbr=on}}. The strong winds, coupled with [[hail]], damaged or destroyed numerous structures, felled trees, and downed utility wires. Across [[Northern Illinois]], numerous [[funnel cloud]]s were sighted in [[Wheaton, Illinois|Wheaton]], [[Carol Stream, Illinois|Carol Stream]], [[Winfield, Illinois|Winfield]], [[West Chicago, Illinois|West Chicago]], [[Aurora, Illinois|Aurora]], and [[Rockford, Illinois|Rockford]], respectively. Thunderstorms also generated hail of up to {{convert|2|in|cm|abbr=on}} in diameter as well; {{convert|2|in|cm|adj=mid|-diameter}} measurements occurred from [[South Dakota]], [[Oklahoma]], and [[Arkansas]] to [[Indiana]], [[Mississippi]], and [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] on April&nbsp;10–12.<ref name="NCDCHail">{{harvnb|Storm Data Publication|1965|loc=[https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/listevents.jsp?eventType=%28C%29+Hail&beginDate_mm=04&beginDate_dd=10&beginDate_yyyy=1965&endDate_mm=04&endDate_dd=12&endDate_yyyy=1965&hailfilter=0.00&tornfilter=0&windfilter=000&sort=DT&submitbutton=Search&statefips=-999%2CALL Events reported between 04/10/1965 and 04/12/1965 (3 days)]}}</ref>{{sfn|Storm Data|1965|p=35}}

==Aftermath and recovery==
[[File:Damage from the F4 tornado in Toledo, Ohio, 11 April 1965.jpg|thumb|left|Damage in Toledo, Ohio, following the F4 tornado of April 11, 1965]]
In the Midwest, at least 266&nbsp;people—some sources say 256–271—were killed and 1,500&nbsp;injured (1,200 in [[Indiana]]). This is the fourth-deadliest day for tornadoes on record, behind [[1974 Super Outbreak|April&nbsp;3, 1974]] (310&nbsp;deaths), [[2011 Super Outbreak#April 27|April&nbsp;27, 2011]] (324), and March&nbsp;18, 1925 (747, including 695&nbsp;by the [[Tri-State Tornado]]).{{sfn|Grazulis|2001a|p=[https://archive.org/details/tornadonaturesul0000graz/page/207 207]}}<ref name="NWSDetroit" /><ref name="Heidorn" /><ref name="SPCFAQ">{{cite web |last1=Edwards |first1=Roger |title=Historical Tornadoes |url=https://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/#History |website=The Online Tornado FAQ |publisher=[[Storm Prediction Center]] |access-date=31 December 2020 |location=[[Norman, Oklahoma]] |date=6 March 2020}}</ref> It occurred on [[Palm Sunday]], an important day in the [[Christianity|Christian]] religion, and many people were attending services at church, one possible reason why some warnings were not received. There had been a late winter in 1965, much of March being cold and snowy; and as the day progressed, warm temperatures encouraged picnickers and sightseers. For many areas, April&nbsp;11 marked the first day of above-average temperatures, so members of the public, being outdoors or attending services, failed to receive updates from radio and television.<ref name="NWSDetroit" /><ref name="blakenaftel" /><ref name="NWSLOT-1" /><ref name="Balmy">{{harvnb|Kutschenreuter|Fox|1965|p=3}}</ref> The high death toll in the outbreak despite accurate warnings led to changes in the dissemination of severe weather alerts by the Severe Local Storm Warning Center in [[Kansas City, Missouri]], now the [[Norman, Oklahoma]]-based [[Storm Prediction Center]].<ref name="Heidorn" /> The U.S. Weather Bureau investigated the large number of deaths. Although [[weather radar]] stations were few and far between in 1965, the severe nature of the thunderstorms was identified with adequate time to disseminate warnings. But the warning system failed as the public never received them. Additionally, the public did not know the difference between a Forecast and an Alert. Thus the terms [[tornado watch]] and [[tornado warning]] were implemented in 1966.{{sfn|Grazulis|2001a|p=[https://archive.org/details/tornadonaturesul0000graz/page/91 91]}} {{citation needed span|text=Pivotal to those clarifications was a meeting in the [[WMT (AM)|WMT Station's]] studio in [[Cedar Rapids, Iowa]]. Officials of the severe storms forecast center in [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]] met with WMT meteorologist [[Conrad Johnson]] and News Director [[Grant Price]].|date=December 2020}} Their discussion led to establishment of the official "watch" and "warning" procedures in use since 1966. Additionally, communities began activating [[civil defense siren#United States|civil defense sirens]] during tornado warnings, and [[storm spotting]] via [[amateur radio]] networks and other media received increased logistical support and emphasis, leading to the eventual creation of [[SKYWARN]].<ref name="NWSLOT-1" />{{sfn|Grazulis|2001a|p=[https://archive.org/details/tornadonaturesul0000graz/page/91 91]}}<ref name="Balmy" />
Five books on the 1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak have been penned to date. David Wagler of Indiana released "The Mighty Whirlwind" in 1966, interviewing survivors and eyewitnesses within months after the tornadoes. Dan Cherry released "Night of the Wind" in 2002; Roger Pickenpaugh published "The Night of the Wicked Winds" in 2003; Cherry wrote "50 Years Later" in 2015 with all-color images of the aftermath; and Janis Thornton published "The 1965 Palm Sunday Tornadoes in Indiana" in 2022.

==Oddities/records==
Additionally, significant scientific data were gathered from aerial surveys of the tornado paths. The outbreak was the first to be studied in-depth aerially by tornado scientist [[Ted Fujita|Tetsuya Theodore Fujita]], who proposed new theories about the structure of tornadoes based upon his study. Dr. Fujita discovered [[multiple-vortex tornado#General|suction vortices]] during the Palm Sunday tornado outbreak. It had previously been thought the reason why tornadoes could hit one house and leave another across the street completely unscathed was because the tornado would "jump" from one house to another. However, Fujita discovered that the actual reason is most destruction is caused by suction vortices: small, intense mini-tornadoes within the main tornado.{{sfn|Grazulis|2001a|pp=[https://archive.org/details/tornadonaturesul0000graz/page/34 34], [https://archive.org/details/tornadonaturesul0000graz/page/46 46]}}

The [[tornado outbreak]] generated 38&nbsp;[[Fujita scale#Rating classifications|significant]] tornadoes, 18&nbsp;of them violent—F4 or F5 on the Fujita scale of tornado intensity—and 22&nbsp;deadly. Covering six states and about {{convert|335|mi2|km2|abbr=on}}, the outbreak killed 266&nbsp;people and became the deadliest to hit the United States since [[1936 Tupelo–Gainesville tornado outbreak|1936]], although more recently the [[1974 Super Outbreak|1974]] and [[2011 Super Outbreak|2011]] Super Outbreaks claimed that distinction. The 17&nbsp;violent tornadoes on April&nbsp;11, 1965, set a 24-hour record that stood until the first Super Outbreak produced 30&nbsp;in 1974.{{sfn|Grazulis|2001a|p=[https://archive.org/details/tornadonaturesul0000graz/page/239 239]}} With 137&nbsp;people killed and 1,200&nbsp;injured in Indiana alone, the outbreak set a 24-hour record for tornado deaths in that [[U.S. state|state]];<ref>[https://fox59.com/weather/deadliest-indiana-tornado-outbreak-on-this-date-in-1965/ Deadliest Indiana tornado outbreak on this date in 1965], Fox59, April 12, 2022</ref> it also generated nine&nbsp;tornadoes of F4 or greater intensity in the same state, which set a single-state record for an outbreak until [[1974 Super Outbreak|April&nbsp;3, 1974]].{{sfn|Grazulis|2001a|p=[https://archive.org/details/tornadonaturesul0000graz/page/243 243]}}

An unusually pronounced elevated mixed layer (EML) was present over the Great Lakes region during the outbreak—a similar pattern having been observed on [[1920 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak|March&nbsp;28, 1920]], [[Tornado outbreak sequence of April 2–3, 1956|April&nbsp;3, 1956]], and April&nbsp;3, 1974. A strong jet stream, combined with tornadoes, lofted topsoil from Illinois and Missouri eastward, producing hazy skies prior to the arrival of storms.<ref name="NWSNrnIndiana" /><ref name="blakenaftel" />
{{clear}}

==See also==
*[[Lists of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks]]
**[[List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks]]
*[[Tornado outbreak of April 2–3, 1956]] – Produced a powerful F5&nbsp;tornado family in Michigan
*[[1920 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak]] – Generated deadly F4&nbsp;tornadoes in the Great Lakes region
*[[1994 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak]] – Yielded long-tracked, intense tornadoes from [[Alabama]] to [[the Carolinas]]
*[[1974 Super Outbreak]] – Associated with numerous violent tornadoes across much of Indiana and [[Cincinnati metropolitan area|Greater Cincinnati]]
*[[Disagreements on the intensity of tornadoes]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=nb}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Sources==
*{{cite book|last=Bontranger|first=Timothy E.|year=2005|title=The Palm Sunday Tornado|publisher=Instantpublisher.com |isbn=978-1591969648}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Brooks |first1=Harold E. |author-link1=Harold E. Brooks |title=On the Relationship of Tornado Path Length and Width to Intensity |journal=[[Weather and Forecasting]] |date=April 2004 |volume=19 |issue=2 |pages=310–19 |doi=10.1175/1520-0434(2004)019<0310:OTROTP>2.0.CO;2 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2004WtFor..19..310B }}
*{{cite report|last=Cherry|first=Dan|date=2002|title=Night of the Wind: The Palm Sunday Tornado of April 11, 1965|location=[[Adrian, Michigan]]|institution=Lenawee County Historical Society}}
*{{cite book|last=Clem|first=Dale|year=1997|title=Winds of fury, circles of grace: life after the Palm Sunday tornadoes|location=[[Nashville, Tennessee]]|publisher=Abingdon Press|isbn=0-687-01795-5}}
*{{cite journal|last1=Cook|first1=A. R.|last2=Schaefer|first2=J. T. |title=The Relation of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) to Winter Tornado Outbreaks|journal=[[Monthly Weather Review]] |date=August 2008|volume=136|issue=8|page=3135|doi=10.1175/2007MWR2171.1 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2008MWRv..136.3121C}}
*{{cite report |author=E. S. Epstein |author2=G. A. Petersen |author3=H. Lieb |author4=J. Davies |author5=V. Oliver |author6=J. Purdom |author7=P. Dales|display-authors=4|title=The Widespread Tornado Outbreak of April 3-4, 1974: A Report to the Administrator|date=December 1974|page=18|url=https://www.weather.gov/media/publications/assessments/Windespread%20Tornado%20Outbreak%20of%20April%201974.pdf|publisher=[[United States Department of Commerce]]|location=[[Rockville, Maryland]] |quote=...warning offices issued 'blanket' warnings because they knew severe storms were in the area, although they did not know the exact location, extent, and movement of the storms.|series=Natural Disaster Survey Report|access-date=16 December 2020|website=NWS Service Assessments|ref={{harvid|NWS|1974}}}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Fujita |first1=T. T. |last2=Bradbury |first2=D. L. |last3=Thullenar |first3=C. L. |author-link1 = Ted Fujita|title=Palm Sunday tornadoes of April 11, 1965 |journal=[[Monthly Weather Review]] |date=January 1970 |volume=98 |issue=1 |pages=30–1 |doi=10.1175/1520-0493(1970)098<0029:PSTOA>2.3.CO;2 |doi-access=free |ref={{harvid|Fujita|Bradbury|1970}} |publisher=[[American Meteorological Society]] |publication-place=[[Boston]]|location=[[Chicago]] |bibcode=1970MWRv...98...29F }}
*{{cite book | last = Grazulis | first = Thomas P. |title = Significant Tornadoes 1880–1989 |date=November 1990 | publisher = The Tornado Project of Environmental Films | location = [[St. Johnsbury, Vermont]] | isbn = 1-879362-02-3 |volume=2 }}
*{{cite book |last1=Grazulis |first1=Thomas P. |title=Significant Tornadoes 1680–1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events |date=July 1993 |publisher=The Tornado Project of Environmental Films |location=[[St. Johnsbury, Vermont]] |isbn=1-879362-03-1 }}
*{{cite book|last1=Grazulis|first1=Thomas P.|title=The Tornado: Nature's Ultimate Windstorm|url=https://archive.org/details/tornadonaturesul0000graz|url-access=registration|date=2001a|publisher=[[University of Oklahoma Press]]|location=[[Norman, Oklahoma|Norman]]|isbn=978-0-8061-3538-0}}
*{{Cite book|last=Grazulis|first=Thomas P. |title=F5-F6 Tornadoes|publisher=The Tornado Project of Environmental Films|year=2001b |location=St. Johnsbury, Vermont}}
*{{cite report |author=P. H. Kutschenreuter |author2=R. Fox |date=1965 |title=Report of Palm Sunday tornadoes of 1965 |url=https://www.weather.gov/media/publications/assessments/palmsunday65.pdf |publisher=National Weather Service |access-date=16 December 2020 |location=[[Washington, D.C.]] |website=NWS Service Assessments |series=Natural Disaster Survey Report |ref={{harvid|Kutschenreuter|Fox|1965}}}}
*{{cite journal |ref={{harvid|Storm Data|1965}} |author=[[National Weather Service]] |title=Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena |journal=[[Storm Data]] |date=April 1965 |volume=7 |issue=4 |publisher=[[National Climatic Data Center]] |location=[[Asheville, North Carolina]] |url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/IPS/sd/sd.html}}
*{{cite report|ref={{harvid|Storm Data Publication|1965}}|author=National Weather Service|date=April 1965 |title=Storm Data Publication|publisher=National Centers for Environmental Information|via=Storm Events Database|url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/}}
*{{cite tech report |first=Lott |last=Neal |author2=Sam McCown |author3=Tom Ross |title=1998-1999 Tornadoes and a Long-Term U.S. Tornado Climatology |series=National Climatic Data Center Technical Report |number=99-02 |institution=[[National Climatic Data Center]] |orig-year=1999 |date=August 2000 |url=https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/techrpts/tr9902/tr9902.pdf |location=[[Asheville, North Carolina]] |ref={{harvid|Lott|McCown|Ross|2000}}}}
*{{cite news|last=King|first=Marshall|date=April 10, 2005|title=One for the books|work=[[Elkhart Truth]]|location=[[Elkhart, Indiana]]}}
*{{cite book|last=Pickenpaugh|first=Roger|year=2003|title=The Night of the Wicked Winds: the 1965 Palm Sunday tornadoes in Ohio|location=[[Baltimore, Maryland]]|publisher=Gateway Press|isbn=0-9709059-3-9}}
*{{cite book|last=Wagler|first=David|year=1966|title=The Mighty Whirlwind|location=[[Aylmer, Ontario]]|publisher=Pathway Publishing Corporation|lccn=67112646}}

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