Tornado in Buchanan County, Iowa
Tornado March 31, 2023 · Buchanan County, Iowa
The path drawn at its surveyed width of 10 yards (0.01 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.
What the National Weather Service wrote
A review of Sentinel Satellite and radar data confirmed a brief tornado path just east of Rowley. There was no observable damage to assign a rating. Beginning and end times estimated based on radar.
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 Rowley (42.3472, -91.8244).
Other tornadoes from the same storm system
18 more tornadoes the National Weather Service filed under this storm episode.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 1092662. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.
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