Palm Sunday Tornadoes--April 11, 1965

A wide outbreak of 37 tornadoes killed 256 people, mostly in Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana on Palm Sunday 1965. This was deadliest tornado outbreak in 33 years in the United States and has been exceeded since only by the April 1974 outbreak. The 55 people killed in Ohio on April 11, 1965, made this the second deadliest tornado day in Ohio history, after the 1924 Lorain Tornado. The only tornado on April 11 to touch down in a large city hit Toledo at about 9:30 PM. It cut a six-mile long path across the northern edge of Toledo. A bus on Interstate 75 was lifted and smashed upside down, killing five occupants. Homes were leveled, swept clean to their foundations, and debris scattered hundreds of yards by this F-4 tornado. Eight people were killed in their homes.

A family of violent tornadoes crossed the state from the Indiana line in Mercer County to suburban Cleveland. Two people were killed in Mercer County and 13 more near Lima. The next tornado destroyed several homes and killed one person in Seneca County. The last tornado in this family touched down southwest of Oberlin and traveled to Strongsville. Every building in the community of Pittsfield was leveled and nine people were killed. Eight more people were killed later along this path.

A tornado swept for 20 miles across Shelby County killing 3 people and derailing a train. Three more were killed in northern Delaware County. Some people trapped in wreckage or blown from their homes into fields were not found for hours. Electric and telephone failures hampered communication Sunday night and Monday, and debris on roads slowed the rescue effort.

After this weekend's deadly severe weather across the south, let's take a look back 46 years ago at another major weather event. The event is yet another example of how destructive, and deadly, mother nature can be.

Palm Sunday, 1965 landed on April 11 that year. As with many severe weather events, the day began quietly with sunshine and warm air. Then, at just before 1:00 pm, the first of 47 tornadoes touched down in Iowa. It would be the first of a near-recording setting day. The 47 tornadoes, 21 of them killers, was the second biggest outbreak ever...

In total, 271 people were killed and more than 1,500 injured during the Palm Sunday tornado outbreak in 1965.

Not to diminish in any way the damage done by the storms this April, but this is the storm I remember from my childhood. Was VERY close to home.

Oh, and no ONE that I know of mentioned "climate change" or "global warming" those 46 years ago.

The other big one was April 1974. Again no mention of GW or Climate Change.

The 1974 tornado formed in or near Guin, AL. We watched all of them being formed on tv. It hit HSV as either an F4 or F5. I think it ended in Zenia, Ohio. The power to the tv stations was lost and they had no back up generators. After that, they did. If that is the one I am thinking about a whole house was destroyed here except for one wall which had books in the bookshelves. That was a terrible night. A mobile home park was totally destroyed. Checks from here were found in eastern TN. We will never forget that one or the one in 89. Makes us appreciate all of the full time weather coverage by the tv stations.

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