[15][16] Simultaneously, a strong low-level jet stream brought a moistening air mass northward: dew points of at least 60F (16C) reached southernmost Illinois and Indiana by 10:00a.m. CDT (15:00UTC). Around 7:30 p.m., a massive tornado struck the town of Russiaville in Howard County. Just 30 minutes later, a second F4 tornado devastated the nearby Sunnyside Housing addition, killing 28. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Hurricane Betsy produced seven isolated tornadoes throughout Florida and the Mississippi Valley. There were no casualties. BTW, the book on the Hudsonville-Standale Tornado by Meteorologist Ernest Ostuno is still available. Supercells produced long-track tornadoes across N. Indiana into S. Michigan and Ohio. Twin tornadoes of this size are a very rare event. This page is dedicated to the stories and memories of the Palm Sunday tornado that struck lower. Ted Miller, of Russiaville, and his family escaped with minor injuries but drove 15 miles to the Clinton County Hospital in Frankfort in a car without lights or a windshield and with one door. When it comes to tornadoes in the Toledo area, the Palm Sunday tornado outbreak of April 11, 1965, which killed 35 people in Northwest Ohio (18 in Lucas and Monroe counties, 13 in Allen and Hancock counties, 4 in Seneca County and 271 in the Midwest total), is unrivaled in terms of damage, deaths, injuries and storm strength. A file image shows damage to the Swan Inn left by the 1965 Palm Sunday Allendale tornado. Palm Sunday tornado outbreak of 1965, series of tornados that struck the Midwestern region of the United States on April 11, 1965. Additionally, significant scientific data were gathered from aerial surveys of the tornado paths. Damage from the two tornadoes was difficult to separate and covered more than 2 to 4 miles (3.2 to 6.4km) across, including much downburst and microburst destruction. 106 talking about this. There were 39 tornadoes confirmed and 48 people were injured, although there were no fatalities.[13]. As Huffman awaited the storm, he noticed the tornado approaching from the southwest, so he began taking a series of photographs, sixin all. 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. [24] Pivotal to those clarifications was a meeting in the WMT Station's studio in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This is the worst tornado ever to hit West Michigan and Ernie does a great job giving you both the meteorology of that dreadful day and also the stories of people who survived the strongest tornado ever to hit West Michigan. Most expensive tornado disaster in Minnesota history (50 million dollars without inflation adjustment). There were 17 fatalities and 772 injuries. of the Branch Co. tornado what a MONSTER wedge tornado! 1966 Jackson MS 16 May 8, 1965 Gregory SD 15 May 5, 1964 Bradshaw NE 14 April 3, 1964 Wichita Falls TX 13 May 5, 1960 Prague OK 12 June 4, 1958 Menomonie WI 11 December 18, 1957 Sunfield IL 10 June 20, 1957 Fargo . Thunderstorms also generated hail of up to 2in (5.1cm) in diameter as well; 2-inch-diameter (5.1cm) measurements occurred from South Dakota, Oklahoma, and Arkansas to Indiana, Mississippi, and Georgia on April1012.[2][35]. [3], An outbreak sequence of 13 tornadoes struck the Mississippi Valley, Utah and the Midwest, injuring 10. On the evening of May 6, 1965, Twin Cities residents knew that there was going to be a storm. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. June 2, 1965: Tornado. Several witnesses also saw two funnels merging into one, similar to the MidwayDunlap tornadoes. Known collectively as the Fridley tornado, these twisters were the worst cyclonic disaster to hit the Twin Cities to date. There were 7 tornadoes confirmed in the United States in December. For four consecutive days, tornado outbreaks produced at least three significant (F2+) tornadoes each day, and at least two violent (F4F5) tornadoes on three of the four days. [6], An extremely destructive and deadly outbreak of 55tornadoes caused major damage from the Southern Plains to the Midwest. The Palm Sunday tornado outbreak was one of the most severe in U.S. history. The destruction from the tornadoes extended over parts of six Midwestern States. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Join the tornado history discussion on our. Nearby gas stations and a strip mall were damaged. For other uses, see. A total of 31 violent (F4 and F5) tornadoes also touched down, which was also a record, with 17 of the F4 tornadoes occurring during the 1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak. A wide outbreak of 37 tornadoes killed 256 people, mostly in Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana on Palm Sunday 1965. In the Midwest, at least 266peoplesome sources say 256271were killed and 1,500injured (1,200 in Indiana). The worst part of the outbreak occurred during the afternoon hours of April 11 into the overnight hours going into April 12. [13][14] The following morning, at 7:00a.m. CDT (12:00UTC), data from radiosondes indicated wind speeds of 120150kn (140170mph; 220280km/h) between the altitudes of 18,00030,000ft (5,5009,100m) over the SonoranChihuahua Deserts and the Arizona/New Mexico Mountains. The tornado also struck the community of Burtons Bridge. It hit Dunlap about an hour after another F4 tornado hit the Midway trailer park a short distance to the southeast. A deadly and destructive outbreak of 24 tornadoes struck the Great Plains and Southeast, killing two and injuring 129. At the time tornado watches were called tornado forecasts; SELS only began using the former terminology in 1966, after the Palm Sunday event. Shortly after 11:00p.m. CDT (04:00UTC), a tornado touched down in Lorain County, Ohio, and headed east-northeastward. West Michigan counties with the highest tornado count. Louis. Pictures and reports of witnesses indicate that two and sometimes three vortices were travelling together. Prior to 1950, assessments of F5 tornadoes are based primarily on the work of Thomas P. Grazulis. There were 34 tornadoes confirmed in the United States in March. Historically, in Nebraska, June is the month with the highest number of tornadoes. Additionally, the public did not know the difference between a Forecast and an Alert. 3 people died in Grant County near Swayze. Eleven tornadoes struck 20 counties in Central and Northern Indiana, killing 141 people. 1965 picked up where 1964 left off, becoming the most active year on record at the time. [20] The U.S. All rights reserved. Support Tornado Talk on Patreon! The tornado hurled a New York Central Railroad freight train into Baw Beese Lake. Unlike many bouts of severe weather, this rash is memorable for the strength of its tornadoes and the lives taken. A similar tornado would do a lot more damage today. The tornado struck the trailer park at 6:32p.m. CDT (23:32UTC). Baseball-size hail may fall . Across Lenawee County the tornado destroyed 189homes. Pictures from Marion, Indiana. A tornado is a narrow, violently rotating column of air that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground. Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally. One final outbreak of six tornadoes hit the Southeast, injuring six. March 28, 1920: 37 tornadoes across the Midwest and Deep South. Meteorologist Tetsuya "Ted" Fujita revolutionized the study of severe storms. This brief article touches upon the Palm Sunday Tornadoes of 1920. Because of the damage to the Fridley High School, the graduation ceremonies were held in nearby Brooklyn Center. Free shipping for many products! Few buildings in this area were spared damage, with a number of people killed and many injured. The first of the F4 tornadoes produced a 151-mile-per-hour (243km/h) wind gust at Tecumsehthe highest wind measurement in a tornado until a measurement of 276mph (444km/h) near Red Rock, Oklahoma, on April 26, 1991; a higher measurement of 318mph (512km/h)later corrected to 307mph (494km/h)in the F5 tornado of May3, 1999, broke this record. [5], 273 tornadoes were confirmed in the United States in May. Indiana National Guardsmen patrolled the hard-hit areas. Donations from as far away as Texas rolled into Indiana. East of Berne, a second short path of about one mile is definite. W : . More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23, one of the nation's worst tornado outbreaks in history, Deadly Palm Sunday tornado survivors recall 'end of the world' 50 years later. Note: Exact tornado path may not be straight and/or continuous. "I saw everything up in the air at once an old woman, a tree and a bunch of boards.". $1.19 + $23.93 shipping. Temperatures reached into the high 50s and lower 60s, making it one of the first milddays of spring. An outbreak of nine tornadoes struck the Midwest and Georgia, killing one and injuring three. Shortly before dissipating, the tornado tossed cars off the Indiana Turnpike near Scott. 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. Notes: Storm Data says this tornado touched down one mile west of Kent and moved east for two miles. [citation needed] For the first time in the U.S. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. June 11, 1965: Rainstorm. In the Grant County town of Marion, the roof of the VA Hospital was ripped off and the Panorama Shopping Center was leveled. Six tornadoes tore through the Twin Cities area with 13 fatalities and more than . [13][14] High temperatures ranged from 83 to 85F (28 to 29C) from Chicago to St. [5], Three destructive tornadoes struck Arkansas and Texas, killing one and injuring seven. There were no fatalities or injuries from the tornadoes.[14]. [26][24][38] A deadly and destructive outbreak of seven tornadoes hit Illinois and Indiana, killing two and injuring 104. 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. Muncie newspaper day after. One person was killed, and several homes were damaged or destroyed. Heres the story of some survivors. The Great Lakes region became the epicenter of one of the nation's worst tornado outbreaks in history 50 years ago this weekend. We are long overdue for a long-track violent tornado. From the Detroit Metropolitan Airport, the radar operator at the U.S. More than 1,700 people were injured and property damage exceeded $30 million, making it the worst disaster in Indiana history. Tornado may have been its strongest at Greentown. Of the settlement's 50residents, the tornado killed seven. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Tornadoes can be among the most violent phenomena of all atmospheric storms we experience. Across Northern Illinois, numerous funnel clouds were sighted in Wheaton, Carol Stream, Winfield, West Chicago, Aurora, and Rockford, respectively. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. (Courtesy Walker Nelson via NWS). We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. The main outbreak was the Palm Sunday tornado outbreak, which started in the afternoon of April 11 and continued through the overnight hours of April 12. TV21 comic #191 - Sep 14 1968 FR/GD. Brian mentions, We were between the center tornado and the tail of the other one. He very well could have been in the midst of multiple funnels. One person was killed in an F-1 tornado that formed in Allegan County and moved into Barry County. APRIL 2015 Palm Sunday in 1965 looked like a keeper. printed The 50th Anniversary of the Palm Sunday Tornado book. Two other people were injured from the three other tornadoes, bringing the injury count to eight.[3][4].