Ohio, 1965

Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Ohio, April 11, 1965

April 11, 1965 · 20 events in 18 counties and zones

17 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
60
Injuries
698
Property damage
$89 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
20

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

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

Tornado, Mercer

When
April 11, 8:15 PM CST
Where
Mercer County
Rating
F4
Path length
5.1 mi
Path width
33 yd
Deaths
2 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
24 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
40.700, -84.800

Tornado, Van Wert

When
April 11, 8:25 PM CST
Where
Van Wert County
Rating
F4
Path length
16.5 mi
Path width
33 yd
Injuries
4 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
40.730, -84.700

Tornado, Allen

When
April 11, 8:30 PM CST
Where
Allen County
Rating
F4
Path length
17.8 mi
Path width
400 yd
Deaths
11 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
100 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
40.800, -84.200

Tornado, Lucas

When
April 11, 8:30 PM CST
Where
Lucas County
Rating
F4
Path length
5.6 mi
Path width
200 yd
Deaths
16 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
207 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$25 million
Coordinates
41.670, -83.600

Tornado, Hancock

When
April 11, 8:45 PM CST
Where
Hancock County
Rating
F4
Path length
14.7 mi
Path width
400 yd
Deaths
2 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
4 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
40.870, -83.870

Thunderstorm Wind, Lucas

When
April 11, 8:55 PM CST
Where
Lucas County
Coordinates
41.700, -83.580

Tornado, Shelby

When
April 11, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Shelby County
Rating
F4
Path length
18.4 mi
Path width
300 yd
Deaths
3 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
50 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
40.350, -84.380

Tornado, Seneca

When
April 11, 9:15 PM CST
Where
Seneca County
Rating
F3
Path length
15 mi
Path width
300 yd
Deaths
4 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
30 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
41.070, -83.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Hancock

When
April 11, 9:15 PM CST
Where
Hancock County
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
41.000, -83.680

Tornado, Lorain

When
April 11, 10:05 PM CST
Where
Lorain County
Rating
F4
Path length
13.4 mi
Path width
400 yd
Deaths
17 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
100 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$25 million
Coordinates
41.230, -82.250

Tornado, Preble

When
April 11, 10:15 PM CST
Where
Preble County
Rating
F1
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
39.730, -84.630

Tornado, Cuyahoga

When
April 11, 10:20 PM CST
Where
Cuyahoga County
Rating
F4
Path length
8.6 mi
Path width
400 yd
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
100 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$25 million
Coordinates
41.300, -82.000

Tornado, Medina

When
April 11, 10:30 PM CST
Where
Medina County
Rating
F1
Path length
8.2 mi
Path width
200 yd
Injuries
6 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
41.230, -81.870

Tornado, Union

When
April 11, 10:30 PM CST
Where
Union County
Rating
F2
Path width
400 yd
Injuries
5 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
40.370, -83.270

Tornado, Delaware

When
April 11, 10:45 PM CST
Where
Delaware County
Rating
F2
Path length
12.3 mi
Path width
400 yd
Deaths
4 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
35 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
40.380, -83.250

Tornado, Greene

When
April 11, 10:50 PM CST
Where
Greene County
Rating
F1
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
39.730, -83.800

Tornado, Morrow

When
April 11, 10:59 PM CST
Where
Morrow County
Rating
F2
Path length
9.9 mi
Path width
400 yd
Injuries
22 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
40.420, -83.020

Thunderstorm Wind, Franklin

When
April 11, 11:12 PM CST
Where
Franklin County
Measured
57 kt (66 mph)
Coordinates
40.000, -82.900

Tornado, Pickaway

When
April 11, 11:30 PM CST
Where
Pickaway County
Rating
F1
Path length
12.3 mi
Path width
300 yd
Injuries
9 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
39.730, -83.030

Tornado, Fairfield

When
April 11, 11:50 PM CST
Where
Fairfield County
Rating
F1
Path length
23.1 mi
Path width
300 yd
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
39.750, -82.800

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, Cuyahoga1965-04-11Direct

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

More

Every storm in Ohio in 1965Every state in 1965This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Ohio, 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: 10083977, 10083978, 10083979, 10083980, 10083981, 10083982, 10083983, 10083984, 10083985, 10083986, 10083987, 10083988, 10083989, 10083990, 10083991, 10083992, 10083993, 10083994, 10083995, 10083996.