Multiple tornadoes were reported in Iowa and Illinois on Friday, shortly after a deadly tornado devastated a small town, and storms downed power lines and trees.
The massive storm began overnight in Nebraska and moved across central Iowa into Illinois. Strong straight-line wind gusts of up to 80 mph (equivalent to a weak tornado) were recorded across Iowa, according to Chad Hahn, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Des Moines. The storm brought heavy rain to parts of Iowa, with up to 8 inches of rainfall falling last week.
At least five tornadoes were reported early Friday south of Iowa City and near Moline, Ill., said John Haas, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Quad Cities office in Davenport, Iowa. No injuries were reported.
More severe weather could hit Iowa after three powerful tornadoes caused millions of dollars in damage
“Emergency managers are saying there is some damage to buildings and homes, but we are out on the scene assessing that,” Hasse said.
In Oklahoma, tornadoes shook Jackson County and neighboring counties for about an hour Thursday evening as the slow-moving storm passed through, according to Ryan Bunker, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Norman, Okla. News outlets reported downed power lines, power outages and damage to several buildings in the area.
Severe weather was expected throughout the long Memorial Day weekend, with the National Weather Service predicting severe storms in parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Iowa from Saturday night into Sunday.
Tom Wiggins sorts through debris at his grandparents’ tornado-damaged home, Thursday, May 23, 2024, in Greenfield, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Nibergal)
The latest severe weather came as about 2,000 residents of Greenfield, Iowa, were still cleaning up after Tuesday’s powerful tornado. Friday’s storm brought heavy rain, dime-sized hail and wind gusts of up to 75 mph, destroying more than 100 homes and striking a nearby wind farm, killing four people, injuring 35 and leaving the area in turmoil.
Among those who died were Dean and Pam Wiggins, said their grandson, Tom Wiggins.
On Thursday, he tried to search for keepsakes from his grandparents whose home was destroyed by the tornado and little remains except for the foundations, which he described as “incredibly loved not only by our family but by the whole town.”
A short distance away, Bill Yount was cleaning.
“It looks like someone took a bomb,” Yount said, pointing to an area covered in timber, rubble, defoliated trees, heavy machinery and clean-up equipment.
He waited out the storm in his closet.
“The roof lifted off and then came crashing down again with such force that all the windows were blown out,” he said Thursday. The tornado ripped through his garage and damaged an interior wall. “My life changed forever in 40 seconds,” he said.
Click here to get the FOX News app
After assessing the damage on Tuesday, the National Weather Service determined that three separate, powerful tornadoes had carved a combined 130-mile (209-kilometer) path across Iowa, said Donna Dubberck, a meteorologist in Des Moines.
