EF1 tornado in Benton County, Iowa

A tornado developed about 2.5 miles southwest of Vinton Saturday evening, and tracked northeast through the northwest portion of Vinton, before lifting northeast of town. The tornado was on the ground for about 16 minutes, along a 14 mile path. The maximum tornado width was about 400 yards. The tornado was rated a strong EF-1, with maximum estimated winds around 110 mph. Southwest of Vinton, the tornado snapped numerous power poles and damaged trees and outbuildings. In northwest Vinton, the tornado damaged numerous structures, including mobile homes, houses, and wood frame metal buildings in an industrial park. Numerous residents of the mobile home park that was impacted went to the designated storm shelter built by the city of Vinton. Outdoor warning sirens were activated 3 times before the tornado moved into far northwest Vinton. There were no reported injuries or fatalities. The tornado continued northeast through rural areas, causing tree and outbuilding damage.

Severe thunderstorms tracked across all of eastern Iowa during the late afternoon and evening of Saturday March 5, 2022. Thunderstorms initially developed in southwest Iowa, and moved across central Iowa during the afternoon hours before reaching, our area after 600 PM. Initially, storms produced large hail and tornadoes over central Iowa, before the threat evolved more into damaging winds and tornadoes as storms moved into eastern Iowa and northwest Illinois. Winds around 60-75 MPH were reported from trained spotters and first responders, with confirmed reports of damage in some locations. EF-1 tornadoes occurred near Davenport and Vinton.