Downed tree in Mason City
Several thousand Iowa homes were without power overnight after a band of severe thunderstorms rolled across much of the state, bringing heavy rain and high winds.
Meteorologist Kevin Deitsch, at the National Weather Service office in Johnston, says parts of northern Iowa got the worst of the damage.
The line of thunderstorms included winds gusting to 60 miles per hour in Forest City while Mason City reported winds at 70 miles per hour with some trees down.
More than 6,000 Alliant Energy customers in north-central Iowa were without power at about 2 AM but extra crews have been brought in and by mid-morning had whittled down the number of customers without power to around 2,000.
While damage reports are still being compiled by authorities and the National Weather Service, there aren’t any reports of any injuries sustained due to the storm.
Power outages were reported across a wide area, including: Mason City, Des Moines, Iowa City, Sioux City, Waterloo and Davenport.
Wet streets early today in Webster City
Some areas got more than a half-inch of rain. Deitsch says Iowans may get more rain later in the week.
“Another pretty potent system is going to be moving through and we could see some additional showers and thunderstorms Thursday night and into Friday,” he says.
While parts of Iowa saw unseasonable high temperatures on Tuesday in the 90s, including a 99-degree reading in Boone, highs today should be closer to normal in the 70s and 80s statewide.
By Bob Fisher, KRIB, Mason City and Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City