Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Michigan, April 11, 1965

Name: Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Michigan, April 11, 1965
Start: 1965-04-11T16:54
End: 1965-04-11T20:35
Location: Michigan

April 11, 1965 · 28 events in 16 counties and zones

25 tornado, 3 thunderstorm wind, 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: 53
Injuries: 800
Property damage: $310 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 28

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

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

Tornado, Ottawa

When: April 11, 4:54 PM CST
Where: Ottawa County
Rating: F4
Path length: 6.2 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 43.020, -85.920

Tornado, Kent

When: April 11, 5:10 PM CST
Where: Kent County
Rating: F4
Path length: 6.2 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Deaths: 5 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 142 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 43.030, -85.780

Tornado, Kent

When: April 11, 5:22 PM CST
Where: Kent County
Rating: F4
Path length: 14.2 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Coordinates: 43.050, -85.650

Tornado, Branch

When: April 11, 6:03 PM CST
Where: Branch County
Rating: F4
Path length: 15.5 mi
Path width: 1,333 yd
Deaths: 9 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 200 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250 million
Coordinates: 41.750, -85.080

Tornado, Allegan

When: April 11, 6:05 PM CST
Where: Allegan County
Rating: F1
Path length: 15.9 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 9 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 42.720, -85.830

Tornado, Hillsdale

When: April 11, 6:20 PM CST
Where: Hillsdale County
Rating: F4
Path length: 24.2 mi
Path width: 1,760 yd
Deaths: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 47 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 41.880, -84.830

Tornado, Kalamazoo

When: April 11, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Kalamazoo County
Rating: F3
Path length: 14.2 mi
Path width: 150 yd
Injuries: 17 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 42.370, -85.600

Tornado, Barry

When: April 11, 6:32 PM CST
Where: Barry County
Rating: F1
Path length: 3.6 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 42.720, -85.520

Tornado, Barry

When: April 11, 6:40 PM CST
Where: Barry County
Rating: F3
Path length: 14.1 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Injuries: 5 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 42.650, -85.300

Tornado, Branch

When: April 11, 6:40 PM CST
Where: Branch County
Rating: F4
Path length: 9.2 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Deaths: 9 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 200 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 41.800, -85.000

Tornado, Lenawee

When: April 11, 6:50 PM CST
Where: Lenawee County
Rating: F4
Path length: 23.2 mi
Path width: 1,760 yd
Deaths: 5 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 42 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 41.950, -84.370

Tornado, Hillsdale

When: April 11, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Hillsdale County
Rating: F4
Path length: 24.5 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Deaths: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 47 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 41.870, -84.830

Tornado, Monroe

When: April 11, 7:15 PM CST
Where: Monroe County
Rating: F4
Path length: 23.6 mi
Path width: 1,760 yd
Deaths: 6 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 5 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 42.000, -83.920

Tornado, Clinton

When: April 11, 7:15 PM CST
Where: Clinton County
Rating: F4
Path length: 14.5 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 8 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 42.850, -84.650

Thunderstorm Wind, Clinton

When: April 11, 7:15 PM CST
Where: Clinton County
Coordinates: 42.880, -84.580

Thunderstorm Wind, Clinton

When: April 11, 7:18 PM CST
Where: Clinton County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 42.780, -84.580

Tornado, Montcalm

When: April 11, 7:25 PM CST
Where: Montcalm County
Rating: F2
Path length: 5.4 mi
Path width: 440 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 43.250, -84.930

Tornado, Gratiot

When: April 11, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Gratiot County
Rating: F2
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 43.380, -84.620

Tornado, Gratiot

When: April 11, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Gratiot County
Rating: F2
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 43.380, -84.620

Tornado, Gratiot

When: April 11, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Gratiot County
Rating: F2
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 43.370, -84.600

Tornado, Lenawee

When: April 11, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Lenawee County
Rating: F4
Path length: 23.2 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Deaths: 4 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 41 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 41.950, -84.370

Tornado, Gratiot

When: April 11, 7:35 PM CST
Where: Gratiot County
Rating: F2
Path length: 9.7 mi
Path width: 440 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 43.300, -84.830

Tornado, Shiawassee

When: April 11, 7:39 PM CST
Where: Shiawassee County
Rating: F4
Path length: 6.5 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 42.900, -84.370

Tornado, Bay

When: April 11, 7:50 PM CST
Where: Bay County
Rating: F2
Path length: 9.9 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 43.550, -83.870

Thunderstorm Wind, Genesee

When: April 11, 7:54 PM CST
Where: Genesee County
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Coordinates: 43.000, -83.680

Tornado, Tuscola

When: April 11, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Tuscola County
Rating: F2
Path length: 9 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 43.570, -83.630

Tornado, Monroe

When: April 11, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Monroe County
Rating: F4
Path length: 23.6 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Deaths: 5 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 5 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 42.000, -83.920

Tornado, Monroe

When: April 11, 8:35 PM CST
Where: Monroe County
Rating: F4
Path width: 200 yd
Deaths: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 29 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 41.720, -83.500

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.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Tornado, Allegan	1965-04-11				Direct
Tornado, Clinton	1965-04-11				Direct

What these are

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.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Michigan in 1965 Every state in 1965 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Michigan, 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: 10040656, 10040657, 10040658, 10040659, 10040660, 10040661, 10040662, 10040663, 10040664, 10040665, 10040666, 10040667, 10040668, 10040669, 10040670, 10040671, 10040672, 10040673, 10041521, 10041522, 10041523, 10041524, 10038418, 10038419, 10038420, 10038421, 10038422, 10038423.