Damage reports from Sunday night’s storms are coming in from across central Iowa. The severe weather spawned tornadoes in southeastern Jasper and western Poweshiek counties. A small factory near Lynnville was heavily damaged, as sheet metal was ripped off the walls of the building and tossed into nearby homes.
Three barns and many farm outbuildings and grain bins were flattened or damaged near Malcolm. No injuries are reported. Power was knocked out to some 800 Alliant Energy customers though it was back on within a few hours.
The Poweshiek County Sheriff’s office reports that tornadoes were spotted near Searsboro and Malcom. Storm spotters have reported crop damage, tree damage and electrical outages. There has been some structural damage but the path of the tornadoes did not go through any heavily populated areas.
The National Weather Service reports extensive damage to a farmstead three miles northwest of Malcom, at least three barns were destroyed, three to four empty grain bins and several one-to-two foot diameter trees snapped in half. The Jasper County Sheriff’s Department is assessing the extent of damage in the Lynnville and Sully areas about ten miles south of Interstate 80.
A sheriff’s dispatcher says the extent of damage is not immediately known but initial reports did indicate some property damage. The National Weather Service says a trained spotter reported damage to a home about five miles southwest of Lynnville. Another eyewitness reported a tornado touching down four miles south of Sully at about 6:30. The spotter reported an eight-mile damage path south of Sully heading north toward Lynnville. More information is expected after the damage is surveyed.