60 years on, Crystal Lake remembers Palm Sunday tornado that killed 6: ‘The sky turned yellow’

60th anniversary event Sunday at Crystal Lake Central High School by historical society

April 11, 2025 at 5:15 am CDT

Neisner's department store in the Crystal Lake Plaza was distroyed on April 11,
1965, during the Palm Sunday tornado outbreak. The tornado damaged or
destroyed large portions of the city. Six people were killed and 75 were injured
Damages in the city totaled over $1.5 million, as 80 homes and the shopping center
were completely destroyed. — Neisner's department store in the Crystal Lake Plaza was destroyed on April 11, 1965, during the Palm Sunday tornado outbreak. The tornado damaged or destroyed large portions of the city. Six people were killed and 75 were injured Damages in the city totaled over $1.5 million, as 80 homes and the shopping center were completely destroyed. (Photo provided by Crystal Lake Historical Society)

Longtime Crystal Lake resident Jim Heisler said he will never forget the sound of the winds and the color of the sky when the fatal Palm Sunday tornado tore through the town 60 years ago Friday.

“It was just like standing at the train station a step away from a roaring-through freight train, that big, heavy, low, rumbling sound. That’s just what the tornado sounded like in ‘65,” he said. “And the sky turned yellow.”