Iowa Weather...Tornadoes? Help, information please!

[Star691]

Just missed an EF4 tornado that was part of the October 4, 2013 NW Iowa, E Nebraska, and SE South Dakota outbreak. I was driving a tractor-trailer on RT.20 near Moville, IA when I heard the EAS warnings on the radio. They said a mile-wider was headed right toward Moville from the southwest.
The sky was darkening, and I could see lightning toward the south. From my experience as a spotter, I knew that the tornado was still much further south. I decided to keep driving on to Dakota City, NE. About 90 minutes later, I pulled a different load going from Dakota City, NE back into Iowa going the same route. On RT. 20 east of Moville, emergency crews were on scene where the tornado had crossed RT. 20. Corn stalks, along with other debris was all over the road. Heard it also destroyed a couple of houses nearby, however thankfully no serious injuries.

[atler8]

This thread deserves an update because no matter where one lives, there is bound to be an unusual or severe or at least surprising weather event every year. Some locales are "lucky" enough to get get more than 1 such event per year.
So far, folks from a variety of locations have contributed their opinions here.
The bottom line is that there is usually a severe interruption everywhere in normal patterns despite how placid the overall stats seem to indicate an area is.

Duster
You had a particular earlier exchange with another out of state member here regarding tornadoes/severe weather & how often it is a risk factor in Iowa as compared to another state so I thought that you and others would find the brand new weather occurrences linked below to be of interest.

My step sister wrote family members the other night from north of Denver that her suburb was on the way to receiving nearly 5 inches of snow in a pre Mother's Day storm. She said that a mix of tornado warnings, hail, rain and snow had hit much of the front range of Colorado on Saturday. Despite the Mother's Day forecast calling for a cold Sunday there, she thought that their driveway & street would melt sufficiently such that they would stay in & only make a minimal effort with the shovel.
They are used to getting outrageously-sized or untimely snow events so they just try to laugh then off & roll with the punches. A great attitude to have if one can manage it.
As for the tornado risk in metro Denver & past stats available on it, she has told me that the consensus there is that because of the growing population & sprawl heading further out into the flat plains east from Denver, the risk to life & property is growing substantially over time & that the region has a bullseye right on it.
From the same weather system, my friends who have lived in Colorado Springs for over 40 years suffered the second straight year of having a mega hail storm hit their city. They sent me their own video footage of the event last year but this new one may be even worse. They both grew up in north central Iowa but there never experienced anything as bad in the form of hail storms. One vid linked below noted that there was 8 inches of hail on parts of I-25 in Colorado Springs!
Of further weather interest in their locale, the 2 years previous to the last 2 years were marked by severe drought in the Springs and their nastiest weather-induced events in 2012 and 2013 were massive forest fires that hit in 2 different regions of their metro area & intruded into built up fringe areas.
Both fire events resulted in poor air quality & depending on the wind direction left a nasty burnt smell in the air for several weeks but left longer-lasting visual scars across the landscape. The severity of the fires was impacted not only by the dry conditions but also by the number of dead and dying coniferous trees that are a hallmark of the pine beetle infestation that is hitting Colorado hard.
Take a look below & I apologize for the ads that may need to be cleared before the intended content is available.

Colorado weather: Wet, wild conditions close roads, unleash hail, tornadoes - The Denver Post

All Hail Breaks Loose In Colorado Springs

Hailstorm wreaks havoc on Colorado Springs roads

[Qwerty]

We could be in for some wild weather tonight. The outlook is for high winds, possible hail and isolated tornadoes. Highest chance right now in the western part of the state but the entire state is being watched (along with the entire middle section of the country).

NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center (This map changes as they issue updates).

[Meemur]

Yes, I've been keeping an eye on the national weather radar, Atler.

You made a good point about sprawl that applies here in Iowa, as well. Some of the new housing in Ankeny and West Des Moines is in areas were tornadoes have touched down in the past. When I was looking at houses, I made it a point to chat with some of the old timers about past storms.

If I end up retiring in Tornado Alley, I'm going to look into concrete dome homes along with other designs that fare better in wild weather. That way, I'm already in my shelter, and if I have limited mobility, I'll still be safe.

[Tek_Freek]

Research methods for connecting the roof to the house. Very important that it not come off.

[jmgg]

KELOLAND.com | Tornado Damages Delmont

KELOLAND.com | Snow Brings Much Needed Moisture To Western South Dakota

The above links both occurred in South Dakota today. The town of Delmont (Population 200) was destroyed by a tornado. Meanwhile in the Black Hills, Rapid City received 13 inches of snow with up to 2 feet falling in the higher elevations.

They don't call South Dakota "The Land of Infinite Variety" for nothing.

[Meemur]

Wow, Jmgg . . . this is a powerful storm!

Here's how it played out in Central Iowa, so far:

Photo Gallery: Severe Weather Strikes Central Iowa | whotv.com

[WyoNewk]

Originally Posted by jmgg

... In NW Iowa/South Dakota during the 1983 Christmas blizzard we had a -70 wind chill. Remember it well. Got snowed in at Sheldon, Iowa and couldn't get home for 2 days.

1983: "The Coldest Christmas Ever" - Farmers' Almanac

I remember that one. It was cold in Wyoming that year too. We (family) were planning to fly back on Christmas Eve to spend the holiday with family. It was -37F that morning. I had an unheated hangar for my plane but had electric engine and cabin heaters to keep it warm. The plane started up just fine, but it was running rough (ice in the gas lines), so I taxied to the fixed base operator to check it out. I hopped out of the plane and saw a red streak in the snow following my tracks. The hydraulic seals for the main gear struts were frozen solid and wouldn't seal! I decided it was just too cold to fly.

I had to be back to work in a couple days but my wife didn't, so she took the 4x4 and kids and off they went. She said the worst of the roads were I-25 south of Sioux Falls to I-680 where it was all frozen with ruts. But they made it. It finally warmed up on New Years day for their return trip.