Northwest Iowa — Hail storms blanketed large sections of the state Tuesday afternoon and heavy crop damage is reported just to our south, in northwest Iowa’s Plymouth County, with thousands of acres impacted.
Bill Tentinger, who farms east of Le Mars, says he has extensive hail damage to his corn, especially to the rows that run east-west.
Photos posted on social media by farmers in the region show hail covering the ground and resembling snow. Tentinger says he may still try to re-plant his soybean acres, though it’s too late in the season to re-plant the cornfields, especially with the chemicals he used.
Tentinger says the hail that hit his crops was nickel-sized, but he noticed larger hail stones as he traveled south towards Kingsley. There was damage to windows at farmsteads, along with damaged siding, and some tree damage. Tentinger is facing another challenge — providing for his animals.
The National Weather Service says the largest reported hail in Iowa on Tuesday was in Linn County with half-dollar-sized stones, while winds topped 66 miles an hour near Des Moines.
