EF2 tornado in Wapello County, Iowa

Long track tornado began in Wapello County northeast

of Ottumwa then tracked northeast into Keokuk County.

The primary damage in Wapello County consisted of three

homes and one hog confinement facility. The first home

lost the entire roof and one external wall. The first failure

point was likely the wind entering and lifting the garage

which then led to failure of the roof. The home only had

straight nailed connections to the external walls spaced

every 18 inches and less to the roof. An unoccupied

mobile home on the property was not well anchored and

rolled to total destruction. This location was rated 110 mph

and EF-1. Two well anchored hog confinement buildings

were totally destroyed and were rated EF-2. The tornado

then impacted a location with a well built 2 story brick

house. The house suffered some roof and window damage

and a loss of a garage door but sustained little other

damage. Other damage indicators at the site suggested

EF-1 winds. Total destruction of a house occurred just

prior to the tornado exiting the county. This older house

sat unanchored to the concrete block basement. The house

was pushed off the foundation and crumbled. Some trees

near the house and a propane tank were mostly left with

little damage. A larger tree directly next to the house on

the wind side had several large limbs removed. Due to

all of these reasons, the wind at this location has been

rated at 135 mph, or high end EF-2.

An intense storm system tracked across the state of Iowa on Friday, March 31st. This system pulled unseasonably warm and moist conditions into the Midwest, which coupled with a very favorable wind profile and created quite the volatile environment for severe thunderstorms. This produced several long lived supercells which developed across central Iowa during the afternoon. The storms were prolific hail producers along with a few reports of wind damage as they moved rapidly northeast. Eventually, the storms produced a few tornadoes before exiting into eastern Iowa.