NWS- Parkersburg-IA Was Hit By An EF-5 Tornado

Here's the latest statement from the NWS office in Des Moines- regarding Sunday's long-track tornado in northeastern Iowa

that heavily-damaged the town of Parkersburg:

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
430 PM CDT TUE MAY 27 2008

...FINAL DAMAGE SURVEY RESULTS FOR BUTLER AND BLACK HAWK COUNTIES...

......

THE FOLLOWING IS A FINAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE DAMAGE THAT OCCURRED OVER BUTLER AND BLACK HAWK COUNTIES ON MAY 25TH.

* EVENT DATE: MAY 25TH

* ESTIMATED START TIME: 4:48 PM CDT

* EVENT TYPE: LOW END EF5 IN PORTIONS OF PARKERSBURG AND NORTH OF NEW
HARTFORD

* EVENT LOCATION: 2 MILES S APLINGTON TO PARKERSBURG TO NEW HARTFORD AND ACROSS NORTHERN BLACK HAWK COUNTY.

* PEAK WIND: MAXIMUM WINDS OF 205 MPH

* AVERAGE PATH WIDTH: PATH WIDTH RANGED FROM 0.6 TO 0.7 MILES NEAR PARKERSBURG TO JUST NORTH OF NEW HARTFORD. THE PATH WIDTH CONSTRICTED TO NEAR ONE QUARTER MILE WIDE EAST OF NEW HARTFORD TO NORTH OF WATERLOO. PATH WIDTH INCREASED TO NEAR 1.2 MILES WIDE NORTH OF DUNKERTON BEFORE DISSIPATING NEAR THE BLACK HAWK AND BUCHANAN COUNTY LINE.

* PATH LENGTH: 43 MILES

* INJURIES: PRELIMINARY 70

* FATALITIES: PRELIMINARY 6

* DISCUSSION/DAMAGE: SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL DAMAGE OCCURRED ACROSS THE SOUTHERN END OF PARKERSBURG AND ALONG A PATH TO JUST NORTH OF NEW HARTFORD. NUMEROUS STRUCTURES COMPLETELY DESTROYED FROM PARKERSBURG TO NEAR NEW HARTFORD. THE TORNADO CONTINUED EASTWARD TO JUST NORTH OF THE WATERLOO AND CEDAR FALLS AREA. SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE ALSO OCCURRED NORTH OF DUNKERTON WHERE THE TORNADO INCREASED TO ITS GREATEST PATH WIDTH. ADDITIONAL EF2 TO EF3 DAMAGE OCCURED NORTHEAST OF DUNKERTON BEFORE THE TORNADO LIFTED SHORTLY
BEFORE MOVING INTO BUCHANAN COUNTY. THIS STORM ALSO PRODUCED SUBSTANTIAL STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE ALONG THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE STORM JUST SOUTH OF THE TORNADO TRACK.

PRELIMINARY ESTIMATES THAT STRAIGHT LINE WINDS OF 90 TO 100 MPH OCCURRED WITH THIS STORM. AT 537 PM CDT THE WATERLOO AIRPORT RECORDED A 93 MPH WIND GUST. INITIAL SURVEY RESULTS SUGGEST THAT STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE WAS THE CAUSE OF THE SEVERE DAMAGE AT THE RECREATIONAL VEHICLE DEALERSHIP NORTH OF CEDAR FALLS.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDING IMAGES...APPROXIMATE STORM TRACK...RADAR DATA...AND PRELIMINARY TIME LINE ARE AVAILABLE AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES WEBSITE AT:

WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/DMX

&&

FOR REFERENCE...THE FUJITA TORNADO SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:

EF0...WIND SPEEDS 65 TO 85 MPH.
EF1...WIND SPEEDS 86 TO 110 MPH.
EF2...WIND SPEEDS 111 TO 135 MPH.
EF3...WIND SPEEDS 136 TO 165 MPH.
EF4...WIND SPEEDS 166 TO 200 MPH.
EF5...WIND SPEEDS GREATER THAN 200 MPH.

$$

DONAVON/KINNEY


________