Ely, IA – The National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed four tornadoes in eastern Iowa on Tuesday, resulting in minor damage. The tornadoes, classified as EF1 and EF0, struck near Spragueville, Preston, and Ely. Two other tornadoes near Olin caused no damage.
According to the NWS, the tornadoes exhibited traits of both landspout and supercell-based tornadoes, forming during slow-moving storms between 4:30 PM and 8:30 PM on Tuesday. The storms brought heavy rainfall, damaging winds, and large hail to the region. The tornadoes damaged outbuildings, crops, and trees, with the strongest winds reaching 100 mph near Spragueville and Preston.
Storm Damage Survey Teams confirmed the EF1 tornado near Spragueville and Preston in Jackson County and the EF0 tornado near Ely in Linn County. The landspout tornadoes had narrow, rope-like funnels and formed along a nearly stationary front.
Severe straight-line winds exceeding 65 mph were reported from Iowa City through Muscatine County and into the Quad Cities metro area, causing scattered damage. Torrential rain accompanied the storms, with Almont in Clinton County receiving 3.30 inches and Galva in Henry County, IL, recording 2.78 inches.
For more information, visit the NWS event page: NWS Event Page.
