At least five tornadoes touched down in Iowa Thursday and weather officials say it will take days to determine an exact number. The tornadoes ravaged central Iowa, taking residents by surprise and causing widespread damage in Marshalltown, Pella and Bondurant.
At least 17 people were injured as a result of the tornadoes but no fatalities were reported. The tornado that touched down in Pella, damaging multiple facilities at a manufacturing company, was rated as an EF-3 tornado with winds of 144 miles per hour. An EF-3 tornado is categorized as “strong” by the National Weather Service.
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NWS officials say damage surveys are underway in the affected communities.
In Bondurant, officials said dozens of homes were damaged with some of the damage described as minor and others described as being a “complete loss.” The tornado also caused a major gas leak in the city that officials rushed to bring under control. The Bondurant tornado was rated an EF-2 by the NWS with peak winds of 110 miles per hour. An EF-2 tornado is also categorized as strong.
Marshalltown appeared to be the worst hit by the tornado spell with an EF-3 tornado touching down that had maximum wind speeds of 144 miles per hour. According to WHO-TV, the spire was ripped from Marshalltown’s historic courthouse and brick buildings were crumbled. A hospital in Marshalltown was forced to evacuate all of its patients after being hit by the tornado.
Marshalltown officials asked people who were coming to look at the damage there to stay away as it was hampering emergency response efforts. Officials said there were power lines down, gas leaks and several damaged buildings.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds toured the damage on Friday.
Despite reports that 27 tornadoes touched down in the Iowa Thursday, weather officials said there was no confirmed number yet.
Forecasting models produced Thursday morning showed only a slight chance of strong thunderstorms later in the day, said Alex Krull, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Des Moines.
“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.”
On Thursday, National Weather Service meteorologist Rod Donavon said two primary storms spawned the series of tornadoes. One developed in the Marshalltown area, while the other started east of Des Moines and traveled through Bondurant and into Pella, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southeast of Des Moines.
Reporting from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Photo: An uprooted tree lies in front of the tornado damaged Marshall County Courthouse, Thursday, July 19, 2018, in Marshalltown, Iowa. Several buildings were damaged by a tornado in the main business district in town including the historic courthouse. Photo by Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press