9/8/05: NOW: IA

[nickgrillo]

Velocity scans showing a widespread area of +64KTS... This thing is a monster. It's about to hit Des Moines within the next few minuites... I wouldn't be surprised at all to see some +65KT wind gusts from it. This bow has had quite a long path... And it was producing baseball-sized hail in northern IA earlier this morning (pretty surprising, actually).

 

[Edward Ballou]

This morning was awesome...I could hear the crackle of lightning as I woke up. Stepped outside and witnessed some brief pea size hail. And from there it seems like things only picked up. It is definitely an impressive system. Takes the edge off of SDS.

 

[Ben Leitschuh]

Getting ready to head out of Iowa City and intercept this system. I'll be blind once I get out, so I'm gonna wait around a little longer in case something blows up out in front of main MCS. Looks like a decent developing cell over Oskaloosa, IA. Any thoughts anyone?

 

[nickgrillo]

Originally posted by Ben Leitschuh
Getting ready to head out of Iowa City and intercept this system. I'll be blind once I get out, so I'm gonna wait around a little longer in case something blows up out in front of main MCS. Looks like a decent developing cell over Oskaloosa, IA. Any thoughts anyone?

It's pretty interesting looking... Not too sure about any tornado threat with this storm, but it's been exhibiting supercell structure for the past few scans...

 

[Angie K Holliday]

I've been checking the storm reports for the area, only one tornado was reported, in Ames. There have been numerous reports of strong winds, including several 70mph gusts around the Altoona area. I have a sister heading to SE IA to visit my mom, and she may have some stories as she is driving through this area now. A severe thunderstorm warning just expired in the Oskaloosa area. I have an uncle there that may have some info later on that area. Storms are still heading SE, not many warnings from them at this time. Watch continues down to Hannibal, MO area till 7 as of right now.

 

[nickgrillo]

Originally posted by Angie K Holliday
I've been checking the storm reports for the area, only one tornado was reported, in Ames. There have been numerous reports of strong winds, including several 70mph gusts around the Altoona area. I have a sister heading to SE IA to visit my mom, and she may have some stories as she is driving through this area now. A severe thunderstorm warning just expired in the Oskaloosa area. I have an uncle there that may have some info later on that area. Storms are still heading SE, not many warnings from them at this time. Watch continues down to Hannibal, MO area till 7 as of right now.

I'm having problems finding that tornado report... Did you get that report from a media source or LSRs?

 

[Jayson Prentice]

The tornado report is now on the SPC page and it is also in the LSR's out of DMX. Wind gusts were recoreded in excess of 80 mph in Ames and reportedly winds on top of a building on campus did a complete 360 while being in excess of 70 mph or so. Myself, as well as several other ISU students, I'm sure scott lincoln will have some type of report beings he could actually see it. I was inside of the building at the time and if it turns out to be a true tornado, then I can say I was within 50' of one! I'll try to get up pictures of the damage later today.

 

[Tony Perkins]

The tornado report is showing on SPCs report:

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/reports/today.html

It doesn't show on the map, but is in the text. On the campus of the Iowa State "Cyclones", no less.
[EDIT: KCCI TV is Des Moines is reporting 7 injuries from flying debris. Probably students caught out in the open walking to classes. ]
There are some media reports about damage in Everly, IA. I used to live in that town of about 600, so this isn't a good way to see my first pictures of the place in many years.

The reports talk about shoveling drifts of hail out of the roads, and police blocking all traffic in and out of town.

http://www.ktiv.com/

 

[Angie K Holliday]

thanks for showing where the report was, since i was away from the computer when the question was asked. i don't tend to believe anything other than nws reports...

the altoona reports and now se iowa reports are of special significance to me because of family. watching the warnings in se iowa now, where my mom is.

 

[Ben Leitschuh]

Just got back from near Houghton, IA. I was on the cell that was out in front of the main MCS line. It tried to get a wall cloud together, but it never semed to quite get it. I will post a report later. Looks like it got absorbed by the main MCS shortly after I left it.

 

[Kurt Hulst]

Weird thing is i clicked on the link and the report of a tornado does not exsist or is nolonger there.

 

[Andrew Khan]

Kurt, maybe the link was down. I just happened to click the hyperlink, and it worked fine, try it again.

 

[nickgrillo]

Originally posted by Andrew Khan
Kurt, maybe the link was down. I just happened to click the hyperlink, and it worked fine, try it again.

I'm pretty sure Kurt was referring to SPC not listing the report as a "tornado"... It was unlisted on the graphic, but if you look under Tornado Reports, you will see the report. Speaking of tornado reports, I'm pretty surprised to see a TOR report coming out of IL today...

 

[Andrew Khan]

So, Kurt was reffering to the visual diagram indicating a tornado? I was thinking he was talking about the text/webpage. I was thinking, when I looked at it, a few minutes ago that perhaps, it was being overlayed by all the other reports....that's just what I thought....I have seen it happen before.

 

[Jayson Prentice]

Just to verify for everybody, it is officially an F1 tornado that went through the Iowa State Campus today. For a small report and pictures here is a link:

http://s2.excoboard.com/exco/thread.php?fo...threadid=539011

An exciting day on campus to say the least. Sorry if this should be in a reports section, just figured it was on the track of confirming the tornado report.