Storms cause damage across Iowa

Damage from yesterday’s batch of thunderstorms stretches from one end of the state to the other. In southwest Iowa, Creston Fire Department Lieutenant Don Irelan says the United Methodist Church was hit by lightning on the south end of the sanctuary. He says it blew off some bricks and clay tile, but there wasn’t any interior damage.There is no damage estimate available on the church. Irelan says flood waters invaded Creston’s Gibson Memorial Library. The city brought in a pump to clean it out.Tornadoes were reported in Montgomery and Harrison counties. Funnel clouds were also reported near the towns of Durant and New Liberty in eastern Iowa and near Boone, Ames and Dallas Center in central Iowa. Dubuque got nearly four inches of rain, setting a new record. Bettendorf had one-inch hail. More than 16-thousand people were without power in the Des Moines area.Forecasters say there’s little chance of more bad weather today, though much of the state may again see scattered rain. National Weather Service meteorologist Brad Small says there is a risk for “cold air funnels” that don’t touch down.Tornadoes were reported yesterday in Montgomery and Harrison counties in the west, and funnel clouds were seen over Ames, Boone and Dallas Center in central Iowa and in Scott and Cedar counties in the east. Story and Wapello counties also reported 70-mile-an-hour wind gusts.