Storms of Sorrow: Unraveling the Tragedy of the 1965 Palm Sunday Tornadoes

Resources:

I misspoke about Storm Chaser Coaching link being available:( since the Founding Member sale is closed, anyone who wants to join will need to wait until we launch in the next few months! I will have updates on that:)

Music:
River's Edge by Druid Falls: SW9QR0WAYNWC3HVJ
Searching by Shimmer: O7LK8DEK6YYNLHHC
With the Tide by Shimmer: OLKWUOH4P4EYZWPR
ATtenborough by Lost Ghosts: YXCRJRNWRCZZU0UT
Firewall by Cody Martin: 3WP12PK8RRDDXJAL
The Starlit Passage by Moments: SZSZYCQVZBEWXIN0
Rush by Shimmer: 2X9EQOC0WXNMMSOP
Awaken by Falls: 6L0ZF37Y8LBOXKSG

[tornadotrx]

That double funnel tornado shot is arguably the most incredible tornado photo EVER! 😵

[jackiehoward]

Carly, you never have to apologize for taking care of your mental health. We will be here! Glad you are back.

[milfuto]

I am a simple girl. I see a new Carly video and I click!
Welcome back, you've been missed!

[brianblair]

That eerily wicked double tornado picture is one for the generations.

[janeschreiner]

Thank you, Carly, for presenting this episode on the 1965 Palm Sunday Tornadoes. I lived in Greentown, Indiana, but were visiting friends in Kokomo in the evening. It’s almost been 60 years now….unbelievable… and I still remember that day like it was only 10 minutes ago. Humongous hail stones had fallen all over the neighborhood where we were. Everyone was out picking them up, throwing them, talking about them. I remember my mom suddenly saying, ….”where are all the birds??” We stopped playing and listened… you could hear nothing except some traffic. It was only then that we really looked at the southwest sky. It was absolutely pitch black with a greenish hue. We had no idea we were looking at a tornado in the distance. At that moment the tornado was most likely in Alto. We went inside before the storm reached us, and only a few minutes later, the lights went out (approx. 7:30pm) and my mom started yelling that it was a tornado and for us all to open the windows. I wanted to see it, and thinking I would see a Wizard of Oz-type tornado, that came out of the clouds and snaked across the sky, to come to a point on the ground and ruffle up some dirt. That’s not exactly what I actually saw, however. It was already on us, wood/2X4’s, paper, mud/dirt/, pieces of furniture, roofing, houses, etc., were flying everywhere. It was so very loud, and our ears popped until we were all holding our heads. We were lucky… the surrounding houses were all still standing. But only a block away, it was chaos. Dad and his friend had stopped at a McDonalds just down the street after picking up the friend’s son from golfing. The tornado picked up the car, spun it, set it back down, and rocked it aggressively. All the windows blew out except the windshield, so they were all covered in glass and mud. I have blocked out the memory of leaving our friends’ house and walking several blocks to where our car was. It was drivable, but totaled nonetheless. I only remember the screams and crying. When we got to Greentown, we couldn’t get to our house - too much damage everywhere. My brother and Dad took flashlights and went on foot to our neighborhood. It was practically all gone - our home was destroyed, and our beloved dog gone, as well. We were 10 miles from the nearest hospital/Kokomo, and we were at my grandparents’ home. It had not been hit. There was a knock at the door, and I opened it. It was the town funeral director, and another gentleman. He asked me if my grandparents were home - no, but then Mom walked up. They were old friends, everybody in our town knew everybody else. I noticed his tie was still tight around his neck, but his white long-sleeved shirt was rolled up on his arms and had blood on it. People had been bringing the dead and injured to the funeral home for assistance. He asked if we had any supplies they could have, mom took him to gather whatever he wanted/needed. The other gentleman had a bucket and asked if he could get some water. Grandma’s house had a well. When my dad and brother returned, dad just shook his head and said, “it’s all gone. Everything is gone.” I’d never seen my parents cry before. Our dog was presumed dead. However, I received a phone call at school 11 days later. Our dog had returned. He was a mess, but lived. It was a toss-up whether he or I was the most hysterical when it stormed in the future. I know Greentown, and probably many towns all across the areas that were devastated, are having 60th Anniversary gatherings in April. Our town lost 10 people that day, 4 of whom we’d seen earlier. One was a friend of mine, also 11 years old. The other 3 were from the same family. It was just a total nightmare. The feeling of helplessness and loss was overpowering. I can’t believe I’m still here…thinking of and talking about that tornado that changed all of our lives, so so many years ago.

[Artfanbookfan]

Excellent work as always. You should write a book on tornado history.

That "Twins" photo is one of the most famous and haunting photos in tornado history.

And yes, I'm convinced that there were a few F5s that day that were misrated.

[ZiggyWhiskerz]

Carly, don't ever apologize for taking a break. You have NOTHING to even be sorry for! You honestly don't owe anyone anything, even your content. Make it because it's what YOU want to do.
Your health, of all kinds, always always comes first. ❤

[BrianSapp-zp]

No need to apologize. Taking care of yourself is most important. Glad you are back and hearing Blaze is doing well. 👍

[sbatncpl]

I sooo remember this day. It was my sister's 15th birthday and, as always, she had to babysit yours truly who was five. We looked out of our south picture window and saw the green/gray/black clouds. She tried her level best to stay calm so I wouldn't become upset. The storms did go over our location which was five miles west of Plymouth, Indiana on old route 30, on its way to Dunlap, Wyatt etc. My family and I drove to check on friends whose home was completely destroyed and even at the tender age of five I couldn't believe the damage wrought by the twisters. MAJOR LEAGUE ENJOYING YOUR CHANNEL AND Best from Northern Indiana!

[Douglas.kong]

My grandpa was working in a cord factory near one of these tornadoes. Very nearly killed him. It was close enough to rip the garage doors off the shop and force him and his workers to either seek shelter or hold onto something to avoid getting yoinked out.

[justjilly]

Carly I grew up near Kokomo Indiana but wasn’t born until 1966. My mother was on the north side and would always share her story through the years whenever it was too warm outside on Palm Sunday or Easter. My uncle Richard Gore was a newlywed and lived in Russiaville. They were closing on the house in a week so were not moved in yet. Houses on both sides were gone and their home was heavily damaged. Thank you for sharing this story. I sent it to my 83 year old mom today after watching and she told me to thank you. 🙏

[mildlydistressed]

The sound of the single audible church bell ringing while the tornado came through the Alto Indiana Church was so eerie it brought tears to my eyes.

[brett]

right in the middle of my tornado obsession and for a tornado outbreak that happed in my area! thank you Carly!

[dancherry]

You raised a very good point on being able to encapsulate the details of this vast story. When I wrote my book on the tornado in 2000-2002, Night of the Wind, I ended with a 263-page book just on one small portion of the southern Michigan-tracking tornadoes in Lenawee County. In 2023, I was up to 432 pages by extending interviews and stories into Hillsdale and Branch counties. It is my opinion each of the four-dozen-plus tornadoes could result in a book.

[BenjaminRowe-hcuo]

The photo of the twin funnels is one of the most frightening things I've ever seen, imagine seeing that in real life, wow.

[ldebart]

great job on this! i am from Elkhart Indiana and the 1965 outbreak is part of our lives still especially in the spring..

[tamarakelli]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for discussing anxiety and storms. The older I get, the worse it is. It started developing a couple of years ago but it originated in 2011 when I was in the Phil Campbell, Hackleburg AL storms. It drives my family crazy. I try to stay calm, I really do. Praying for everyone with this issue. ❤❤❤❤

[alexlautzenheiser]

Welcome back! Palm Sunday 1965 had one of the most memorable tornado outbreaks, and as an Indiana native myself, this is often talked about as it was the deadliest tornado outbreak in the state.

[danielross]

I remember that day! I was a little kid and we were all hunkered down in the basement in Tecumseh, MI in Lenawee County. The town of Tipton in the same county suffered much damage. Great video!

[rwbwatercolor]

0:08 OMG Carly! I love your hair! That first clip a few seconds in was almost like a jump scare but in a good way, it looks beautiful on you! As someone who’s been obsessed with tornadoes since seeing Twister & Night of the Twisters (guilty pleasure and honesty still my favorite tornado movie lol) as a 6 year old and in the same Summer, I’ve been obsessed with Tornados and severe thunderstorms since. Unfortunately I grew up in Northwest Pennsylvania where they are pretty rare. Although the 1985 outbreak that led to the Niles, Ohio F5 had multiple F2-F3 Tornadoes within a couple miles of where I lived my entire life until I was out of High School. Unfortunately I wasn’t born until 1989 lol. Anyway, the whole point of that is that of all of the many creators on YouTube who focus on Tornadoes, not just chasing but actually creating long form content analyzing storms from history and all the data that goes with them YOU ARE BY FAR MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE PERSON DOING IT.

Yeah the data and statistical information collected about tornadoes throughout history is cool, but what’s even more cool is the way you take the (often tedious and boring “numbers”) scientific statistical analysis and data to get an accurate scientific knowledge of the storm in question and then you find all the newspaper articles and as many personal anecdotes and stories as you can, and it’s clear you actually deeply care about the human impact of the storm. Then you take the scientific data and all of those news articles/anecdotes and build a great story that you also tell SO WELL.

I greatly appreciate your content. It has the best of both worlds. The scientific knowledge and fact that comes with science to be able to accurately describe and interpret what the storm was like, and the many, many more emotional experiences and evidence that came from the real people who were there when it happened. Plus your voice soothes me, and you just seem like super genuine and caring and REAL.

Keep it up. I truly believe everyone should be watching your content.