50th Anniversary of Norwood (IL)/south side Peoria F3 (9/14/1965)

[Tim from Springfield (IL)]

This storm system might not be too well-known on this board (other than possibly on analogs) but 50 years ago tomorrow (Sept. 14, 1965) is the 50th anniversary of an F3 tornado which devastated the Peoria suburb of Norwood (including destruction of the town's grade school) and hit the south side of the city (and lifted before hitting the Caterpillar Inc. plants across the Illinois River in East Peoria).  Peoria Journal-Star will have an article in tomorrow's paper about the storm and its aftermath, and the NWS is quoted in the story as being the strongest tornado that affected the immediate Peoria area until the Washington F4 on 11/17/2013. 

 

PJStar story: http://www.pjstar.com/article/20150913/NEWS/150919730

 

Before turning tornadic as it approached Norwood and Peoria, the storm system spawning the twister brought large, destructive hail and winds to one of the communities that would eventually be hit hard on 6/5/10--Elmwood.  I grew up northwest of Peoria and have heard many stories from family members and read several newspaper accounts on the hailstorm in Elmwood from this storm system.

 

Tornado History Project results for the 9/14/65 outbreak (although the path for the Norwood/Peoria tornado is off by about 5 miles to the north):

 

http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/1965/9/14/map

 

[Hoosier]

LAF area was hit pretty good on that date as well, especially south of town.

[Tim from Springfield (IL)]

And the storm system producing the Norwood/Peoria tornado had just come off the heels of Hurricane Betsy remnants affecting as close as southern Illinois and Indiana. 

 

FWIW--12z surface analyses (with an emphasis on Betsy) for the two days prior to Norwood (Sept. 12 & 13) which includes parts of IL and IN (from the WPC's Hurricane Betsy page at: http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/betsy1965.html )

 

12z 9/12: http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/0912196512zpcpn.gif

 

12z 9/13 (including E IL and IN): http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/0913196512zpcpn.gif

 

Any maps of 9/14 out there?

[Hoosier]

You can get daily maps here

http://www.lib.noaa.gov/collections/imgdocmaps/daily_weather_maps.html