Today marks the anniversary of the 1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak - not only one of the worst tornado events in U.S. history but also Indiana history. In Indiana, 137 people were killed and nearly 2000 were injured as a series of violent tornadoes impacted the northern and central part of the state.
Although tornado records are more limited farther back in time, there are some data available for Indiana tornadoes going back approximately 200 years. During that time, few events have even come close to competing with the 1965 outbreak in terms of fatalities, number of killer tornadoes and number of violent tornadoes. The deadliest tornado outbreaks in Indiana history are as follows:
1. April 11, 1965: 137
2. March 18, 1925: 75 (actual number may be slightly higher)
3. April 3, 1974: 47
# of killer tornadoes:
1. April 3, 1974: 8
2. April 11, 1965: 7
3. June 30, 1877; June 14, 1880; April 17, 1922: 4
# of violent tornadoes (F4 or greater):
1. April 3, 1974: 9
2. April 11, 1965: 8
3. June 2, 1990: 5
To put the April 11, 1965 Indiana death toll in perspective, more people were killed in less than 4 hours than in the entire 40 year period prior to that. The outbreak is also responsible for slightly more than half of our tornado deaths from 1950-2012.
In all, ten tornadoes were confirmed in Indiana. The first tornado touched down around 5:45 PM in Starke county. It moved from 3 miles southwest of Hamlet, passed across Koontz Lake and ended about 5 miles south of Elkhart. Numerous homes and cottages were destroyed.
The second tornado touched down in St. Joseph county about 5 miles southwest of Wakarusa. The tornado developed a double funnel structure as it crossed US 33 between Elkhart and Goshen. Numerous deaths occurred at the Midway Trailer Court as many trailers were destroyed. Additional deaths occurred in the Middlebury area as homes were leveled and swept away. Elkhart Truth reporter Paul Huffman took a series of photographs, unknowingly capturing what would become the iconic image of this outbreak (the double funnel) and perhaps one of the most spectacular tornado photographs ever taken. Huffman was standing in the shoulder of US 33 when the famous picture was shot.
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| Click For Larger Image |
The third tornado affected Porter and La Porte counties, moving from Morgan Township to just beyond South Center. Homes were heavily damaged southwest of Wanatah. Other homes and barns were destroyed south of Kingsford Heights.
The fourth tornado touched down southeast of Goshen in Elkhart county and ended near Brighton. Most of the deaths occurred in the Rainbow Lake and Shore areas, where intensity was near F5.
The fifth tornado touched down in northwest Steuben county before moving into Michigan. All of the deaths and most of the damage occurred in Michigan.
The sixth tornado, the first of the day to impact central Indiana, occurred in Tippecanoe and Clinton counties. This tornado is often listed as touching down southeast of Lafayette but tornado damage may have started as far west as Odell. A few homes were leveled at Mulberry and Moran with the worst damage occurring in Clinton county.
The seventh tornado touched down south of South Bend, passing through parts of St. Joseph, Elkhart and LaGrange counties. Many people were killed at Dunlap as the Sunnyside and Kingston Heights housing developments were devastated.
The eighth tornado touched down in Montgomery county southeast of Crawfordsville. This tornado affected parts of three counties - Montgomery, Boone and Hamilton. The funnel cut a mile wide swath north of Lebanon, destroying dozens of homes and killing several people. Additional deaths occurred around Sheridan before the tornado dissipated south of Arcadia.
The ninth tornado of the day touched down just southwest of Russiaville, heavily damaging much of that town. Near Alto and Kokomo, the funnel widened to about 1 mile and destroyed dozens of homes. Additional homes were leveled along the track before the tornado finally dissipated in Grant county north of Arcana.
The tenth and final tornado to impact Indiana touched down in Blackford county near the town of Roll. Heavy damage occurred in Wells county near Keystone and near Linn Grove in Adams county. The tornado then moved into Ohio.
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| Map of Tornado Tracks |
Tornado narratives and pre-1950 data obtained from:
Thomas P. Grazulis, Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991 (Environmental Films, 1993).
