4 more tornadoes confirmed in Saturday's storm outbreak in Iowa, bringing statewide total to 13

Philip Joens, Des Moines Register
·4 min read

Four more tornadoes have been confirmed during Saturday's deadly outbreak, according to the National Weather Service.

On Wednesday night the NWS confirmed additional tornadoes in Chariton, Derby, Cromwell and Corning. Thirteen tornadoes — three in eastern Iowa and 10 in central Iowa—have now been confirmed by the NWS during Saturday's outbreak, which killed seven people. One tornado associated with the storm was also confirmed in northwest Illinois.

Tornadoes in Iowa have now been confirmed in:

  • Winterset/Newton: EF-4 tornado on the ground for 69.5 miles from 4:26 p.m. to 6:01 p.m. with peak winds 170 mph. Maximum width: 800 yards. Six deaths and five people injured.

  • Garden Grove/Humeston: EF2 tornado on the ground for 19.1 miles from 5:07 p.m. to 5:34 p.m. Peak winds 122 mph . Maximum width: Undetermined. No injuries or deaths.

  • Chariton/Red Haw State Park: EF3 tornado on the ground for 16.5 miles from 5:30 p.m. to 5:54 p.m. Peak winds of 138 mph. Max width: Undetermined. One death was associated with this tornado.

  • Allerton/Corydon:EF2 tornado on the ground for 7.5 miles from 5:38 p.m. to 5:48 p.m. Peak winds of 118 mph. Maximum width: Undetermined. No injuries and deaths.

  • Kellogg: EF2 tornado on the ground for 17.4 miles from 6:04 p.m. to 6:29 p.m. Its max width was 400 yards. Peak winds of 112 mph. No injuries and deaths.

  • Tama: EF2 tornado on the ground for 8.6 miles between 6:33 pm. and 6:42 p.m. Peak winds of 115 mph. No injuries and deaths. Maximum width: 150 yards.

  • Cromwell: EF0 tornado with peak winds less than 72 mph, on the ground for 3.4 miles between 4:01 p.m. and 4:06 p.m. Maximum width: Undetermined. No injuries and deaths.

  • Corning: EF-Unknown. Tornado on the ground for 1.5 miles between 3:38 p.m. and 3:40 p.m. Maximum width and peak winds are unknown. No injuries and deaths.

  • Derby: EF1 tornado on the ground for 3.6 miles between 5:26 p.m. and 5:31 p.m. with peak winds of 100 mph. Maximum width: Undetermined. No injuries and deaths.

  • Chariton EF0 tornado with peak winds less than 72 mph and on the ground for 1.9 miles between 5:40 p.m. and 5:42 p.m. Maximum width: Undetermined. (This tornado rotated around the original Chariton tornado before being absorbed into it.) No injuries and deaths.

  • Vinton: EF1 tornado on the ground for 14 miles between 7:10 p.m. and 7:26 p.m. with peak winds of 110 mph. Maximum width: 400 yards. No injuries and deaths.

  • West Davenport 1: EF1 tornado on the ground for 4.16 miles between 8:37 p.m. and 8:41 p.m. Peak winds of 100 mph. Maximum width: 300 yards. No injuries and deaths.

  • West Davenport 2: EF0 tornado on the ground for 0.12 mile between 8:37 p.m. and 8:38 p.m. with peak winds of 65 mph. Maximum width: 25 yards. No injuries and deaths.

Saturday's storms were Iowa's first severe weather outbreak of 2022. On Dec. 15, 63 tornadoes, a record for any day in recorded Iowa history, touched down during a December derecho.

Six people were killed when the EF4 tornado hit a rural area near Winterset. At 69.5 miles, it was the second-longest tornado in Iowa since 1980, longer than every tornado since then except a June 1984 tornado that struck southern Iowa.

Gov. Kim Reynolds issued disaster proclamations Saturday and Monday for Madison, Adair, Benton, Decatur, Jasper, Lucas, Polk, Tama, Warren and Wayne counties.

The proclamations allow the use of state resources to assist in response to and recovery from the storm damages, including grants of up to $5,000 for lower-income households to aid with living expenses. Applications and details are available at https://dhs.iowa.gov/disaster-assistance-programs.

Funeral service arrangements have been announced for one of the people killed in Saturday's tornadoes. Rod Clark died while trying to shield his wife Judy in their bathtub, according to KCCI.

A memorial service for Clark will be held Tuesday at 4 p.m. at the Fairview Cemetery in Madison County.

Memorials for Clark may be directed to his family at PO Box 136, Winterset, IA 50273.

Philip Joens covers breaking news for The Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-443-3347 at pjoens@registermedia.com or on Twitter @Philip_Joens.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 13 tornadoes hit Iowa during deadly Saturday outbreak, NWS confirms