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At least six tornadoes strike Iowa, multiple deaths reported
This National Weather Service graphic shows the widespread impact of Tuesday's storms.
The state patrol says there are multiple deaths and at least a dozen injuries in Greenfield after Tuesday’s direct hit from a powerful tornado. There’s widespread destruction in the Adair County town, with homes leveled, cars tossed and trees stripped bare.
Meteorologist Brad Small, at the National Weather Service in metro Des Moines, says it’s still unclear just how many tornadoes hit the state on Tuesday afternoon. “Present indications are right now, there were at least six,” Small says, “but we’ll send surveys teams out today which will try to hone that number down a little closer.”
Those weather service teams will focus on three primary areas of the state where the tornadoes did their worst.
Greenfield tornado damage (Photo by Melissa Ehrman Johnson of Atlantic)
“One will be near Corning in southwest Iowa, and then also up toward Greenfield, which was obviously the most impacted location in the state,” Small says, “and then we also appear to have had a tornado in northern Polk County, possibly starting up by Saylorville Lake or northern Johnston and that tracked into Story County.”
That tornado damaged Johnston High School, which is closed at least for today. Back in southwest Iowa, it appears Greenfield was hit by a large tornado, but Small says they don’t know yet how big it may’ve been.
“We’ll be able to provide more details on that later in the day today, looking at some aerial photography, drone imagery and of course, get on the ground and look at the damage up close and provide the rating,” Small says. “Remember, the tornado ratings are damage ratings, so it’s not visually what the tornado looked like. It’s strictly based on the damage that occurred.”
More storms are in the immediate forecast, but Small says they don’t appear to be threatening.
“Possibly some light showers, maybe a rumble of thunder today, but nothing significant today, and Thursday during the day looks dry, but Thursday night and Friday, the chances for showers and thunderstorms are back in the forecast,” Small says. “The severe weather potential doesn’t look too great at this time. It’s a marginal risk mainly in the west, and marginal risk is one out of five on the scale, so nothing like what we’ve seen recently.”
This latest round of severe weather follows several bouts with tornadoes during April, which saw 43 tornadoes during the month, the fourth-highest number ever recorded in a single month in Iowa.
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