Severe weather rumbled through parts of northern and northeast Iowa about eight o’clock this morning, packing heavy rain and high winds. At least two semis were toppled on Interstate 35 near Mason City while winds were clocked around 70 miles an hour in the town of Clarksville.
Steve Ulrichs, the Butler County Emergency Management Coordinator, says Clarksville appears to have caught the worst of it. Ulrichs says big trees and big limbs are down all around town, with at least one punching through the roof of a house, while another limb landed on a car. The power is out to at least 200 rural electric co-op customers in Butler County around Rockford, Greene and north of Waverly. Ulrichs says the storm left a real mess behind.
Ulrichs says:"City crews were out there right away clearing the streets. The secondary roads are being cleared of limbs and branches and friends and neighbors are out helping people. Everybody’s doing the best they can." He says it’s heartwarming to see everyone pitch in and lend a hand in getting the tree debris off the main roads.
Elsewhere, there are reports of storm damage to trees in Rockwell with utility poles broken in the powerful winds near the Kossuth County town of Burt. There’s also a report of several barns being leveled in Bremer County, with another semi blown off Highway 218 near the Plainfield interchange. The truck driver was hurt but his injuries were reportedly minor. No other injuries are reported.