(Johnston) Widespread destructive straight-line winds blew across central Iowa during the daytime hours on Monday. The highest official wind gusts measured 99 miles per hour at the Marshalltown Airport with an unofficial wind gust of 106 miles per hour at Le Grand east of Marshalltown.
The strongest winds were between the Highway 30 and Interstate 80 corridor including the Des Moines metro, Ames, Newton, Marshalltown, Tama/Toledo, and Carroll, from central Iowa eastward into east-central Iowa and northern Illinois.
Rod Donavon, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Des Moines says the system called a Derecho left behind a lot of damage to crops and grain bins.
Donavan says Derecho’s are rare for Iowa. He recalls two other events in July 2011, and June 29, 1998.
Donavan looks for a more active weather pattern to form over the next several days. He says a good portion of western Iowa has been in a D2 and D3 drought now for a good portion of the spring into late summer. The current weather pattern appears to be more active with a chance of thunderstorms some of which may be severe. Donavon says it’s the time of year when cold air starts to collide with the warm and moist air to the south, which can lead to strong to severe thunderstorms.
Scattered thunderstorms are possible in western Iowa late tonight. A few severe storms with hail and strong winds are possible.
