Big Storms Tuesday

It was a severe weather awareness Tuesday. Highs were in the middle to upper 80s in central Iowa and then colder air collided along the storm front by the afternoon to really kick up monster-sized storms.

Golfball to baseball sized hail fell from Lamoni to Grinnell to Waterloo.

The high wind in Grinnell dropped trees and power lines. As of 10:00 last night the power was still out in most of Grinnell.

This storm system is out of the state today. We will see just light showers on the backside of the low pressure system. Clear and cold conditions will move into the area tonight.

Tornado Drill Day

Today is the day the local emergency management officials all over the state of Iowa get to try out the tornado sirens. The test begins at 10 AM. The sirens will go off around 10:10 AM. Kids will move to the center of the school buildings and will remember to stay away from windows.

The severe weather radios will sound their alarms. We all need those weather radios in our homes and businesses so we can be ready to keep ourselves and family safe during severe weather events like yesterday.

One of my favorite rules for tornado safety is D.U.C.K.

Down to the lowest level in the building
Under something sturdy
Cover your head
Keep in your shelter

Most tornadoes in Iowa hit in April, May and June. But, there have been reports of tornadoes in each month of the year. The Woodward tornado hit on November 12th, 2005.

Most likely time for tornadoes is between 3 PM and 8 PM.

Average number of tornadoes in the state of Iowa....48.

Have a great Wednesday. Stay safe and let us know if you have more pictures of the severe weather on Tuesday.

Ed