Iowa, 1965

Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Iowa, April 11, 1965

April 11, 1965 · 8 events in 6 counties and zones

5 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
3
Property damage
$5.3 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

5 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lee

When
April 11, 11:50 AM CST
Where
Lee County
Measured
63 kt (72 mph)
Coordinates
40.580, -91.680

Tornado, Cedar

When
April 11, 12:55 PM CST
Where
Cedar County
Rating
F4
Path length
70.2 mi
Path width
200 yd
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
41.850, -90.930

Tornado, Clinton

When
April 11, 1:05 PM CST
Where
Clinton County
Rating
F4
Path length
21.3 mi
Path width
200 yd
Injuries
3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
42.870, -90.580

Tornado, Chickasaw

When
April 11, 1:15 PM CST
Where
Chickasaw County
Rating
F1
Path length
49.9 mi
Path width
300 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
42.930, -92.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Dubuque

When
April 11, 1:30 PM CST
Where
Dubuque County
Measured
64 kt (74 mph)
Coordinates
42.380, -91.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Allamakee

When
April 11, 1:50 PM CST
Where
Allamakee County
Coordinates
43.200, -91.180

Thunderstorm Wind, Dubuque

When
April 11, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Dubuque County
Coordinates
42.500, -90.680

Thunderstorm Wind, Dubuque

When
April 11, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Dubuque County
Coordinates
42.500, -91.000

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Tornado, Cedar1965-04-11Direct

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Iowa in 1965Every state in 1965This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Iowa, 1965

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10013618, 10013619, 10013620, 10013621, 10013622, 10013623, 10013624, 10013625.