Lang
5/21/24
The Iowa City area was spared from the worst damage from Tuesday’s severe thunderstorms and tornadoes, although surrounding communities were not as lucky.
The Iowa State Patrol reports Tuesday’s storms closed Interstate 80 eastbound between the West Branch and Tipton exits due to multiple overturned semis. The roadway was closed for hours as crews cleaned up the aftermath. Motorists were forced to take detours involving Herbert Hoover Highway and Highway 6.
West Liberty firefighters warned the public to avoid all travel Tuesday night while area roads were cleared of debris and overturned vehicles.
A one-hundred mile per hour wind gust was reported near Atkins, with wind gusts as high as 70 miles per hour in West Liberty.
Western Iowa was the hardest hit, including multiple people who died in Greenfield. The Adair County community took a direct hit from a tornado, which tore a path through the town and leveled dozens of buildings. The Adair County Hospital also took a hit, causing damage that made it difficult to treat victims who were injured elsewhere.
Multiple 250-foot tall wind turbines were toppled in southwest Iowa, including at least one which caught fire.
Governor Kim Reynolds has already designated 15 Iowa counties as disaster areas, and others could be added to the list.