Storms caused chaos in Urbandale and Des Moines on Monday afternoon, ripping through the metro area at around 5 p.m. Power lines, tree limbs, and utility poles were left in disarray. Two tornadoes struck the metro, hitting Grimes and Windsor Heights.
The National Weather Service has preliminarily rated the tornado that passed through Urbandale, Windsor Heights, and Des Moines as an EF-1. The tornado’s path covered seven miles in 10 minutes, with peak winds between 100 and 105 mph.
The storms that hit Iowa on Monday were part of a derecho, extending from central Iowa into northern Illinois and Indiana. Thunderstorms progressed from central to eastern Iowa, spilling into Illinois and moving towards Chicago. The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center reported multiple wind gusts ranging from 75 to 90 mph, with a notable 101 mph gust recorded in Ogle County, Illinois.
This storm system meets the criteria for a derecho, characterized by high winds, extensive damage, and a wide impact area. A survey team confirmed that an EF-1 tornado passed through Urbandale, Windsor Heights, and Des Moines.
A derecho is a long-lived line of thunderstorms that produces intense wind gusts over a large area. It must produce wind damage that extends for hundreds of miles, with wind gusts of 58 mph or greater along most of its path and several well-separated gusts of 75 mph or greater. The damage path must also exceed 50 miles in width.
Iowa has experienced several derechos in the past five years. The most recent prior to Monday’s storm occurred on May 24, 2024, causing heavy rain, hail damage, and brief tornado touchdowns. Other significant derechos impacted Iowa on June 29, 2023, and July 5, 2022, with another affecting parts of northwestern Iowa on May 12, 2022.