Northwest Iowa — New information from the National Weather Service Sioux Falls Forecast Office indicates there were three reports from our area.
At 7:25 p.m., a thunderstorm wind gust of 64 miles per hour was measured by automatic equipment three miles northeast of Sibley.
At 8:09 p.m., (estimated by radar) farm outbuildings four miles west-southwest of Alvord received “extreme roof damage.” The report came from the Alvord Fire Department.
At 9:15 p.m. O’Brien County Emergency Management Director Jared Johnson reported that part of the roof of the new car wash in Sutherland was ripped off, and several homes had tree branches land on them.
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Original story posted Tuesday afternoon, May 7:
Northwest Iowa — The thunderstorms that rolled through northwest Iowa on Monday night spun up some funnel clouds and tornadoes and also caused some damage in the area.
According to O’Brien County Emergency Management Director Jared Johnson, there were several homes in Sutherland that were hit by tree branches last evening due to the storm system. He says a portion of the roof of the new car wash in Sutherland was ripped off. Tree branches were down in the Sutherland Park as well. Plus, he says there is flooding in fields from the rainfall.
Johnson tells us the ground is very saturated, which is causing basement flooding in some communities. He says they are asking people to please follow the city code requirements for sump pumps. Most often it is illegal to have your sump pump’s outflow attached into the sewer system that drains your sinks, tubs, and toilets, due to the possibility for sewer backup. They tell us sump pump outflows should be routed outside to your lawn or to the street.
Other storm damage reports are still coming in, but we do know of one farm west-southwest of Alvord where there was what the report calls “extreme roof damage” from a storm that rumbled through about 8:10 p.m. Monday night.
(Sutherland pictures courtesy Jared Johnson/O’Brien County EMA)
