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Debris sent flying during storm in Iowa
Severe winds sent debris flying toward traffic in Windsor Heights, Iowa, on July 15 as a confirmed tornado moved through the region. This video, taken by Kevin Grimes via Storyful, shows the chaos.
WINDSOR HEIGHTS, Iowa (FOX 9) - A storm sent debris flying into traffic in Windsor Heights, Iowa, on Monday as a tornado moved through the region.
Kevin Grimes captured video on his dashcam of the scene while he drove through the storm. Footage of the chaos shows downed trees, damaged street signs, power flashes and captured the sound of tornado sirens.
The video is not associated with the already confirmed tornado in Iowa. The National Weather Service will be conducting a storm survey on Tuesday across parts of the Des Moines metro area in connection to the severe thunderstorms that moved through the area.
Storms in Iowa on Monday snapped trees and utility poles and left people without power. The storms were part of a system that moved through the Midwest, leaving a trail of damage stretching nearly 500 miles from Iowa through Chicago to Indiana, according to FOX Weather.
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Deadly derecho causes damage across the Midwest
A deadly and destructive derecho blasted across the Midwest on Monday, packing wind gusts at over 100 mph. Several tornadoes caused damage to communities on the storm's nearly 500 mile long path. FOX 9’s meteorologist Cody Matz has more.
More about this crazy video
FOX 9 Meteorologist Cody Matz watched this video. Here's his take:
"I realize that this video is wild, but it is a perfect example of why the National Weather Service completes damage surveys to determine if damage occurred because of a tornado. While watching the video, focus on the trees on the sides of the road as the car drives along. When the winds start to pick up speed and then, as debris flies around the car, there is very little, if any, change in the overall orientation of how the trees are blowing in the wind. As we all know, tornadoes spin. So, with no apparent evidence of spin in this video, you can't use this video alone to determine whether this was, in fact, a tornado. Now, I'm not saying it wasn't ... this just shows the need for post-storm surveys to confirm damage patterns to see if there was any sort of spin.
"So, if it's not a tornado, then what happened? Well, there could be a few things that can harbor strong straight-line winds. Analyzing Doppler radar data from that time shows the storm was falling apart a little bit as it merged with another storm just to the east. This can lead to rain-cooled air 'falling' out of the storm, leading to fairly brief, very gusty conditions. It's often referred to as a microburst. It could also be what is called a RFD, or Rear Flank Downdraft. As a supercell passes by, winds often surge around the 'backside' of the storm as they're sucked into the updraft. This 'backside surge' can be very strong, with gusts that can easily hit 70mph. This can cause similar scenes to what happens in the video. The National Weather Service is already out surveying the damage and will learn more through the day."