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EF2 tornado in Benton County, Iowa

Tornado March 31, 2023 · Benton County, Iowa

EF2
Rating
1.7 mi
Path length
50 yd
Path width
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 50 yards (0.03 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What EF2 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF2 is considerable damage: roofs torn off well-built houses, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, consistent with estimated gusts of 111–135 mph. The rating comes from a survey of the worst damage after the storm, not from a wind measurement, so it says as much about what the tornado hit as about how strong it was.

What the National Weather Service wrote

The tornado developed northwest of Vinton, Iowa and moved northeast, producing damage to farm buildings, trees, and power poles.

The wider storm

A very strong system developed on the morning of March 31st and tracked across the state of Iowa. This system pulled unseasonably warm and moist air into the Midwest, which combined with a very favorable wind profile to create a volatile environment for severe thunderstorms. Discrete supercell thunderstorms occurred initially, but quickly transitioned into a QLCS mode. This system produced a historic tornado outbreak for the area, with a record 29 tornadoes on the day, including 13 rated EF-2, 1 rated EF-3, and 1 rated EF-4. This was the first EF-4 tornado in the NWS Quad Cities service area since 1995. 11 injuries were reported, with no known fatalities. In addition to the numerous tornadoes, there were many large hail and damaging wind reports. Maximum straight line thunderstorm winds were estimated at 80 to 90 mph.

Began near Vinton (42.1800, -92.0900).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

18 more tornadoes the National Weather Service filed under this storm episode.

EF4 Keokuk CountyEF3 Keokuk CountyEF2 Clinton CountyEF2 Des Moines CountyEF2 Cedar CountyEF2 Johnson CountyEF2 Johnson CountyEF2 Johnson CountyEF2 Cedar CountyEF2 Benton CountyEF1 Jackson CountyEF1 Jackson CountyEF1 Jones CountyEF1 Delaware CountyEF1 Delaware CountyEF1 Cedar CountyEF0 Jackson CountyEFU Buchanan County

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 1087135. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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