The National Weather Service says a tornado touched down in Buchanan County on Tuesday afternoon.
Storm damage survey teams fanned out across the state on Wednesday, confirming at least two tornadoes so far.
The team who surveyed Buchanan County says a tornado touched down northwest of Quasqueton around 3:02 pm near the Pine Creek Wildlife area, damaging several trees along 262nd Street. The tornado continued to track to the northeast, uprooting and snapping several healthy hardwood trees at the Pine Creek Cemetery (pictured below). Several residents who live near the cemetery saw the tornado. The tornado continued moving to the north-northeast – uprooting several more trees, damaging a farm outbuilding and overturning a semi along Highway 20 before lifting about four miles northeast of Winthrop around 3:15 pm. According to the map the National Weather Service made that shows the tornado’s path, it appears to have clipped the northwest edge of Winthrop.
The National Weather Service has rated the Buchanan County tornado as a moderate EF-1, with estimated peak winds of 110 miles per hour. The tornado’s path was ten and a half miles long, with a max width of 125 yards.
No injuries were reported.
The second tornado the National Weather Service has confirmed happened in southeast Iowa near the towns of Houghton, Salem, New London and Yarmouth. It was rated a significant EF2 and damaged numerous structures on a path just over 27 miles long.
map and photo courtesy of NWS
