March 28, 2024

Central Iowa Supercells

Tornado outbreak hits Jasper County, ‘devastates’ neighboring cities

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A sudden outbreak of tornadoes cut through portions of central Iowa Thursday afternoon, including confirmed twisters on the ground near Prairie City, Valeria and Monroe in Jasper County.

Reports of devastating damage in downtown Marshalltown included the partial collapse of historic buildings and the Marshall County Courthouse, while Vermeer Manufacturing in Pella took a direct hit with at least 17 people reported injured in both locations.

First responders from the Monroe and Reasnor Fire Departments and the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to Vermeer to assist Pella fire and EMS crews.

Jasper County Emergency Management Director Jim Sparks, who was assisting Thursday evening with emergency response in Pella, was not immediately available for an interview Friday. Jasper County Sheriff John Halferty said Friday no serious injuries were reported in Jasper County. Down trees and structural damage to a barn east of Monroe was reported.

“We were lucky, obviously,” Halferty said.

According to Halferty, the same storm that caused the minor damage east of Monroe is the same cell law enforcement tracked from the Polk County line, through (southern) Jasper County which hit Vermeer in Pella.

The National Weather Service in Des Moines issued the first, unforecasted tornado warning around 2:50 p.m. By the time the warning expired at 4:30 p.m., six confirmed tornadoes had been spotted on the ground near Prairie City, Reasnor, Valeria and Monroe by law enforcement, radar and trained spotters, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Three additional funnel clouds were also confirmed by NOAA near Monroe and Prairie City. Spotters confirmed the first tornado on the ground in Jasper County at 3:01 p.m. outside Valeria and the final twister of the afternoon at 3:51 p.m. near Monroe. Unlike neighboring Marshall and Marion Counties, all tornadoes locally were magnitude 0, the lowest strength of the Fujita Scale.

Prairie City Police Chief/City Manager Joe Bartello was out on Jasper County’s rural roads monitoring the storms Thursday as they happened. Bartello said he and his staff spotted six tornadoes both west and north of town and confirmed at least three touchdowns outside of Monroe.

Meagan Hutchins was traveling from Mingo to Prairie City when storms moved into Jasper County. She spotted several funnels Thursday while driving southbound on Highway 117. The 29-year-old Prairie City resident said she could see debris rising from the ground, as she witnessed what appeared to be tornado touch down near the Prairie City Recreational Complex

Hutchins also captured photographs of funnels extending down from the skies west of Colfax near Colfax-Mingo Jr/Sr High School and west of Highway 117 South between Prairie City and Colfax.

Despite the dangers, Hutchins said she has a fascination with severe weather.

“I love tornadoes and thunderstorms. I’ve never actually seen one before, so I was excited about that,” she said. “There were about 30 people outside of Goldies (Ice Cream Shoppe in Prairie City) taking pictures.”

But the real damage from the storms was in neighboring Marshalltown and Pella.

The hardest hit appeared to be Marshalltown, where brick walls collapsed in the streets, roofs were blown off buildings and the cupola of the historic courthouse tumbled 175 feet to the ground, according to the Associated Press.

UnityPoint Health hospital in Marshalltown was damaged, spokeswoman Amy Varcoe told the AP.

Varcoe said all 40 of its patients were being transferred to the health system’s hospitals in Waterloo and Grundy Center.

The Marshalltown hospital’s emergency room remained open to treat patients injured in the storm, Varcoe said. Ten people injured in the storm had been treated by 7 p.m. Thursday, she said. She did not know how serious those patients’ injuries were.

Marshalltown resident Stephanie Moz said she, her husband and 2-month-old baby were in the downtown clothing store she owns when tornado sirens went off. The family sought shelter in the building’s basement and heard “cracking and booms and explosions” as the tornado passed.

The storm broke out a window, ruining clothing and hats on display there, and destroyed her husband’s vehicle, but she said she’s relieved.

“We went through a tornado and survived,” Moz said. “I’m happy.”

Alliant Energy’s foundation donated $10,000 Thursday to the American Red Cross’ relief efforts in Marshalltown. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at Meskwaki Conference Center at the Meskwaki Hotel/Casino in Tama.

Alliant spokesperson Mark Wagner said Thursday night, crews were still assessing the damage.

“Before we can begin restoration efforts, we will need to make many areas safe by de-energizing downed lines and turning off ruptured gas lines,” he said. “We want to remind our customers to avoid downed lines and ruptured gas lines the best they can as both situations are extremely dangerous.”

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds office announced Friday that she would be touring damaged areas in Bondurant, Pella and Marshalltown.

As of 6:42 p.m. Thursday, 9,800 customers in the Marshalltown area were without power.

Weather forecasters said the tornadoes formed suddenly and took them by surprise.

Alex Krull, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Des Moines, said forecasting models produced Thursday morning showed only a slight chance of strong thunderstorms later in the day.

“This morning, it didn’t look like tornadic supercells were possible,” Krull said. “If anything, we were expecting we could get some large hail if strong storms developed.”

Iowa State Rep. Mark Smith, who lives in Marshalltown, told Des Moines station KCCI-TV the area likely will be declared a disaster area. Smith said his house and neighborhood were not damaged, but much of downtown and surrounding homes have been.

“There are houses with windows out, houses without roofs,” he said. “It’s just an absolute mess.”

Another tornado hit agricultural machinery maker Vermeer Manufacturing, where some people were still working, in Pella. It scattered huge sheets of metal through a parking lot and left two buildings severely damaged.

Pella Regional Health Center spokeswoman Billie Rhamy said seven people injured at the Vermeer plant were treated at the hospital. All had minor injuries and were released after treatment, Rhamy said.

National Weather Service meteorologist Rod Donavon said two primary storms spawned the series of damaging tornadoes. One developed in the Marshalltown area, causing damage there, while the other started east of Des Moines and traveled through Bondurant and into Pella.

The exact number of tornadoes and their strength will be determined after further analysis.

Contact Mike Mendenhall at 641-792-3121 Ext 6530 or at mmendenhall@newtondailynews.com