March 29, 2024

Hail hits Jasper County, tornado rips through southern Iowa

Hail up to 2.5 inches in diameter was reported in Jasper County Sunday. The storm, which made its way through quickly, dropped more than 2 inches of rain along the way.

Tracy Clark, who was about seven miles east of Monroe, said she had hail that filled her entire hand.

Further south, a tornado ripped through farm fields as thunderstorms elsewhere in the state dropped heavy rain and hail that approached the size of baseballs.

Thirty-year-old Mike Gillespie said he watched the tornado switch directions and miss his parents’ farm north of the township of Williamson in Adams County late Sunday evening.

The storm tore up fields of corn and other crops and also damaged farm buildings. No injuries have been reported as a result of the weather.

Officials say wind gusts topped 60 mph in other central Iowa counties.