YearFinal SPC data

1965

897 tornadoes in 1965, with 789 hail and 1,052 wind reports, from the NOAA SPC severe weather database.

Tornado recordHail + windDaily reportsStorm Events narrativesEF ScaleMax path width

301

Tornado deaths

F0 246 F1 300 F2 249 F3 71 F4 30 F5 1

Hail and wind show significant reports only (2 in or larger, 65 kt or stronger). Click a legend item to show or hide it, or "only" to see just that. Select anything on the map to open its record.

Tornadoes by month

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Hail reports by month

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Wind reports by month

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Storm days

Every day with a tornado, hail or wind report. Warmer colors mean more tornadoes; gray days had hail or wind only; a white ring marks a day with an F4/EF4 or stronger tornado.

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Running count

1965 against the years around it and the 1991 to 2020 average

19651991 to 2020 average1960 to 1970 (other years)

897 tornadoes in 1965, 27% below the 1991 to 2020 average of 1,231.

Counts by storm day (12Z to 12Z). Reporting changed a great deal over the decades, so years far from 1991 to 2020 are not a like-for-like comparison with the average.

Busiest tornado days

#	Day	Tornadoes	F/EF4+	Deaths	Strongest	States
1	04/11/65	47	17	260	F4	GA, IA, IL, IN, MI, OH, WI, WV
2	05/25/65	43	0	0	F3	CO, IA, IN, KS, MO, NE, OK, TX, WI
3	05/08/65	37	3	4	F5	AR, KS, NE, OK, SC, SD, WI
4	05/24/65	34	0	0	F3	CO, IA, KS, MN, NE, OK, SC, SD, WI
5	05/15/65	18	0	0	F3	IA, NE, OK, TX, WI
6	05/05/65	17	2	0	F4	IA, MN, ND, SD, TX, WI
7	09/20/65	17	0	0	F3	IA, KS, MO, OK
8	11/26/65	17	0	1	F3	AL, AR, IL, IN, KY, MS, OH
9	02/11/65	15	0	0	F3	AL, AR, LA, MS, TN, TX
10	05/13/65	15	0	0	F3	KS, OK, TX
11	03/17/65	14	0	2	F3	AL, MS, NC, OH, SC, TN
12	05/18/65	13	0	0	F2	IN, KS, OK, TX
13	05/06/65	12	4	13	F4	MN, NE, OK
14	01/22/65	12	0	0	F2	LA, MS, TX
15	02/09/65	11	0	0	F3	AR, IL, IN, MS, TX

Busiest severe weather days

tornado, hail and wind reports together

#	Day	All reports	Tornadoes	Hail	Wind	Largest hail	Top gust
1	04/11/65	93	47	14	32	2 in	70 kt (81 mph)
2	05/25/65	85	43	15	27	4.5 in	80 kt (92 mph)
3	05/08/65	60	37	6	17	1.75 in	68 kt (78 mph)
4	08/26/65	48	8	19	21	3 in	79 kt (91 mph)
5	11/26/65	48	17	1	30	3 in	72 kt (83 mph)
6	05/15/65	44	18	12	14	2.75 in	80 kt (92 mph)
7	05/24/65	42	34	2	6	2.75 in	–
8	03/16/65	40	10	19	11	3 in	55 kt (63 mph)
9	09/20/65	38	17	4	17	2 in	80 kt (92 mph)
10	06/04/65	37	9	10	18	2 in	75 kt (86 mph)
11	04/19/65	36	2	28	6	3 in	58 kt (67 mph)
12	02/11/65	35	15	2	18	2 in	64 kt (74 mph)
13	03/17/65	35	14	7	14	2.75 in	85 kt (98 mph)
14	05/07/65	32	11	18	3	4 in	55 kt (63 mph)
15	06/07/65	32	10	14	8	4 in	61 kt (70 mph)

Largest hail

top 15

#	Date	Size	Place
1	04/14/65	7.5 in	Young County, TX
2	07/11/65	6 in	Rosebud County, MT
3	07/18/65	5 in	Bon Homme County, SD
4	05/25/65	4.5 in	Decatur County, KS
5	07/16/65	4.5 in	Burt County, NE
6	05/04/65	4 in	Finney County, KS
7	05/07/65	4 in	Wright County, IA
8	05/20/65	4 in	Clark County, SD
9	06/07/65	4 in	Lincoln County, KS
10	07/05/65	4 in	Dawes County, NE
11	08/25/65	4 in	Des Moines County, IA
12	09/13/65	4 in	Clay County, MO
13	06/08/65	3.5 in	Potter County, TX
14	06/28/65	3.5 in	Marshall County, KS
15	07/23/65	3.5 in	Barron County, WI

Strongest wind gusts

top 15, measured first on ties

#	Date	Gust	mph	Type	Place
1	03/17/65	85 kt	98	Not given	Craven County, NC
2	07/08/65	85 kt	98	Not given	Carver County, MN
3	01/26/65	80 kt	92	Not given	Venango County, PA
4	05/15/65	80 kt	92	Not given	Barry County, MO
5	05/26/65	80 kt	92	Not given	Jackson County, MO
6	07/06/65	80 kt	92	Not given	Kay County, OK
7	09/20/65	80 kt	92	Not given	Kay County, OK
8	06/10/65	79 kt	91	Not given	Penobscot County, ME
9	08/27/65	79 kt	91	Not given	Will County, IL
10	06/04/65	75 kt	86	Not given	Platte County, MO
11	07/06/65	73 kt	84	Not given	Oklahoma County, OK
12	07/17/65	73 kt	84	Not given	Hayes County, NE
13	09/15/65	73 kt	84	Not given	Erie County, PA
14	07/20/65	72 kt	83	Not given	Cheyenne County, NE
15	08/27/65	72 kt	83	Not given	Cook County, IL

F4/EF4 and stronger

Date	Rating	Tornado	State	Length	Width	Deaths	Injuries
03/16/65	F4	Helena, OK to Winfield, KS	OK, KS	82.7 mi	300 yd	0	7
04/10/65	F4	Conway, Arkansas	AR	4.7 mi	200 yd	6	200
04/11/65	F4	Lowden to Bellevue, Iowa	IA	91.5 mi	200 yd	1	3
04/11/65	F4	Lakewood to Island Lake, Illinois	IL	9.1 mi	400 yd	6	75
04/11/65	F4	Coopersville to Cedar Springs, Michigan	MI	20.6 mi	300 yd	5	142
04/11/65	F4	Wakarusa to Middlebury, Indiana	IN	21.2 mi	10 yd	31	252
04/11/65	F4	Middlebury to Burr Oak, Indiana	IN	21.6 mi	177 yd	5	41
04/11/65	F4	Jimmerson Lake, IN to Carleton, MI	IN, MI	90.3 mi	1,760 yd	23	294
04/11/65	F4	Dayton to Burlington, Indiana	IN	21.8 mi	500 yd	0	44
04/11/65	F4	Lakeville to Sturgis, Indiana	IN	37.0 mi	333 yd	36	321
04/11/65	F4	Michigantown to Upland, Indiana	IN	48.0 mi	880 yd	25	835
04/11/65	F4	Snow Lake to Carleton, Michigan	MI	80.5 mi	10 yd	21	293
04/11/65	F4	Crawfordsville to Arcadia, Indiana	IN	45.7 mi	1,667 yd	28	123
04/11/65	F4	Montpelier, IN to Spencerville, OH	IN, OH	52.5 mi	10 yd	4	125
04/11/65	F4	DeWitt to Owosso, Michigan	MI	21.0 mi	100 yd	1	8
04/11/65	F4	Toledo, OH to Luna Pier, MI	OH, MI	5.6 mi	200 yd	18	236
04/11/65	F4	Elida to Mount Blanchard, Ohio	OH	32.5 mi	400 yd	13	104
04/11/65	F4	Fort Loramie to Jackson Center, Ohio	OH	18.4 mi	300 yd	3	50
04/11/65	F4	Oberlin to Strongsville, Ohio	OH	22.0 mi	400 yd	18	200
05/05/65	F4	Gowrie, Iowa	IA	9.9 mi	200 yd	0	0
05/05/65	F4	Osage to Cresco, Iowa	IA	41.6 mi	200 yd	0	11
05/06/65	F4	Cologne to Minnetrista, Minnesota	MN	12.3 mi	300 yd	3	175
05/06/65	F4	Chanhassen to Deephaven, Minnesota	MN	6.9 mi	200 yd	0	0
05/06/65	F4	Columbia Heights to Spring Lake Park, Minnesota	MN	6.8 mi	1,000 yd	3	175
05/06/65	F4	Golden Valley to Lino Lakes, Minnesota	MN	17.3 mi	667 yd	6	158
05/08/65	F4	St. Paul to Neligh, Nebraska	NE	78.9 mi	10 yd	0	0
05/08/65	F5	Gregory to Winner, South Dakota	SD	30.1 mi	1,760 yd	0	1
05/08/65	F4	Wood River to Wausa, Nebraska	NE	126 mi	10 yd	4	53
06/02/65	F4	Anton to Plainview, Texas	TX	39.3 mi	200 yd	4	76
06/07/65	F4	Viborg, South Dakota	SD	7.8 mi	647 yd	1	0
08/26/65	F4	La Porte City, Iowa	IA	4.7 mi	200 yd	1	17

Deadliest tornadoes

Date	Rating	Tornado	State	Length	Width	Deaths	Injuries
04/11/65	F4	Lakeville to Sturgis, Indiana	IN	37.0 mi	333 yd	36	321
04/11/65	F4	Wakarusa to Middlebury, Indiana	IN	21.2 mi	10 yd	31	252
04/11/65	F4	Crawfordsville to Arcadia, Indiana	IN	45.7 mi	1,667 yd	28	123
04/11/65	F4	Michigantown to Upland, Indiana	IN	48.0 mi	880 yd	25	835
04/11/65	F4	Jimmerson Lake, IN to Carleton, MI	IN, MI	90.3 mi	1,760 yd	23	294
04/11/65	F4	Snow Lake to Carleton, Michigan	MI	80.5 mi	10 yd	21	293
04/11/65	F4	Toledo, OH to Luna Pier, MI	OH, MI	5.6 mi	200 yd	18	236
04/11/65	F4	Oberlin to Strongsville, Ohio	OH	22.0 mi	400 yd	18	200
04/11/65	F4	Elida to Mount Blanchard, Ohio	OH	32.5 mi	400 yd	13	104
04/11/65	F3	Hamlet to Elkhart, Indiana	IN	35.6 mi	250 yd	10	82
04/10/65	F4	Conway, Arkansas	AR	4.7 mi	200 yd	6	200
04/11/65	F4	Lakewood to Island Lake, Illinois	IL	9.1 mi	400 yd	6	75
05/06/65	F4	Golden Valley to Lino Lakes, Minnesota	MN	17.3 mi	667 yd	6	158
04/11/65	F4	Coopersville to Cedar Springs, Michigan	MI	20.6 mi	300 yd	5	142
04/11/65	F4	Middlebury to Burr Oak, Indiana	IN	21.6 mi	177 yd	5	41

Storm days. A day here runs from 12Z to 12Z (6 a.m. CST to 6 a.m. CST the next morning), the way SPC counts storm days, so an overnight tornado counts with the afternoon and evening before it.
Reporting changed over time. Tornado counts rose from the 1990s on as Doppler radar, spotter networks and cameras caught more weak tornadoes. Counts from different decades are not directly comparable, especially for the weakest ratings.
F and EF ratings. The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale replaced the Fujita (F) Scale on 02/01/07. Both estimate wind speed from damage, but they use different damage indicators, so each rating is shown with its own scale.
Ratings before the mid 1970s. The F Scale came into use in the early 1970s. Tornadoes from 1950 until then were rated afterward from newspaper accounts, photos and records, which tends to make those ratings less certain.

Titan Archive · a Tornado Titans project Data: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database · updated 10/03/26