Winds topping 100 mph sweep through Iowa, Illinois
Meteorologist: Among worst of recent derechos.
Associated Press
Tue, 11 Aug 2020 00:24:10 GMT
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — A rare storm packing 100 mph winds and with power similar to an inland hurricane swept across the Midwest on Monday, blowing over trees, flipping vehicles, causing widespread property damage and leaving hundreds of thousands without power as it moved through Chicago and into Indiana and Michigan.
The storm known as a derecho lasted several hours as it tore from eastern Nebraska across Iowa and parts of Wisconsin and Illinois, had the wind speed of a major hurricane, and likely caused more widespread damage than a normal tornado, said Patrick Marsh, science support chief at the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla.
In northern Illinois, the National Weather Service reported a wind gust of 92 mph near Dixon, about 100 miles west of Chicago, and the storm left downed trees and power lines that blocked roadways in Chicago and its suburbs. After leaving Chicago, the most potent part of the storm system moved over north central Indiana by late afternoon.
“The storm system as a whole is definitely beginning its decay,” said Northern Illinois University meteorology professor Victor Gensini.
A derecho is not quite a hurricane. It has no eye and its winds come across in a line. But the damage it is likely to do spreads over such a large area is more like an inland hurricane than a quick, more powerful tornado, Mr. Marsh said. He compared it to a devastating Super Derecho of 2009, which was one of the strongest on record. It traveled more than 1,000 miles in 24 hours, causing $500 million in damage, widespread power outages, and killing a handful of people.
“This is our version of a hurricane,” Mr. Gensini said in an interview from his home about 15 minutes before the storm was about to hit. Minutes later he headed to his basement for safety as the storm took aim at Chicago, starting with its suburbs.
Mr. Gensini said this derecho will go down as one of the strongest in recent history and be one of the nation’s worst weather events of 2020.
“It ramped up pretty quick” around 7 a.m. Central time in Eastern Nebraska. “I don’t think anybody expected widespread winds approaching 100, 110 mph,” Mr. Marsh said.
Several people were injured and widespread property damage was reported in Marshall County in central Iowa after 100 mph winds swept through the area, said its homeland security coordinator Kim Elder.
“We had quite a few people trapped in buildings and cars,” she said, adding that the extent of injuries is unknown and that no fatalities have been reported.
Ms. Elder said some people reported their cars flipping over from the wind, having power lines fall on them, and getting injured when hit by flying debris. Dozens of cars at one factory had their windshields blown out. Buildings also caught on fire, she said.
MidAmerican Energy said nearly 101,000 customers in the Des Moines area were without power after the storm hit. Reports from spotters filed with the National Weather Service in Des Moines had winds in excess of 70 mph.
A hockey arena in Des Moines was among the buildings that sustained roof damage in several Iowa cities.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has “both significant and widespread damage throughout the city,” said public safety spokesman Greg Buelow, including toppled trees and power lines.
Unstable super moist air parked over the northern plains for days until it became a derecho on Monday.
“They are basically self-sustaining amoebas of thunderstorms,” Mr. Gensini said. “Once they get going like they did across Iowa, it’s really hard to stop these suckers.”