Clinton and Cedar Counties F4 Tornado

April 11, 1965

The year 1965 will be remembered as the year of the Palm Sunday tornado outbreak. Approximately 40 tornadoes touched down in six states. Indiana was the worst hit after ten tornadoes tore through the state and killed 137 people. The outbreak left more than 250 people dead and about 1,500 injured.

The first tornado touched down in Iowa and went through Clinton and Cedar Counties. The hardest hit areas occurred in Tipton, Clarence, and Lowden, all in Cedar County. The F4 tornado damaged dozens of farms as it tore through the two counties. The tornado first struck at about 12:15 p.m., just north of Tipton. Heavy rain and hail also hit the tornado stricken area. Starting at 12:30 p.m., hail fell for about five minutes in Tipton, covering the ground.

There were three injuries in Clinton County and one fatality in Cedar County. The one fatality was from a Tipton man after he sustained serious injuries after he was caught out in the open as he was running to seek shelter. The Tipton man was found under debris about one-hundred feet from the house. The foundation was all that was left of the house.

National Climate Data Center April 11, 1965 event record for Clinton County
National Climate Data Center April 11, 1965 event record for Cedar County
Research article on the Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak (Tetsuya T. Fujita and Dorothy L. Bradbury, Janurary 1970)
NOAA news article on Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak
NOAA Public Affairs Office article on taking weather detection to new heights
NOAA Public Affairs Office article on communications since 1965 outbreak

Twin funnels in Elkhart, Indiana taken by Mr. Paul Huffman on April 11, 1965
(Photo courtesy of NOAA NWS)