Powerful storms and at least one tornado tore through Iowa on Tuesday, killing multiple people and leaving destroyed homes, smashed cars and downed trees on roads.
The hardest hit city was Greenfield, a city of about 2,000 people about 50 miles southwest of Des Moines. Iowa State Police Sergeant Alex Dinkler said Tuesday evening that the tornado “devastated a large portion of this town and community.” The storm killed multiple people in the city, but the total number of deaths was unknown as of midday Wednesday.
Destructive winds and heavy rain affected other parts of the state, with multiple tornadoes reported in southwestern Iowa and north of Des Moines. The damage caused by the storm is as follows.