A relentless week-long severe weather pattern continued to unleash destructive tornadoes across parts of the Midwest on Monday. Large trees and power lines were reported down, and numerous structures damaged throughout Memorial Day in the central United States.
Many midwestern residents may have hoped to celebrate Memorial Day with outdoor festivities, which are more typically associated with the holiday. Instead, many residents were warned to take shelter as tornado watches and warnings spread across the region.
As of Tuesday morning, there were over 50 tornado reports listed on the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center website, many of which from the central states like Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and Indiana. Tornadoes were also reported in northeast Colorado and western Nebraska.
On Monday night, the tornadoes shifted into Ohio, where a large and destructive tornado swept through Dayton.
Tornado watches and warnings were issued across the region throughout Monday. Many local residents were told to take shelter.
A tornado was first observed in Floyd County, Iowa, about 1-4 miles north of Charles City around 12:30 p.m, local time, Monday. NWS reports damage to several homes, as well as extensive damage to the Floyd County Fairgrounds and to a fertilizer plant.
The tornado was later rated as a “high end” EF1 with maximum sustained winds around 110 mph.
Social media users captured the large and damaging tornado moving across Floyd County on video.
Others posted the extensive damage of the tornado on social media.
Also in Iowa, a tornado was reported to have blown through Lime Springs in Howard County shortly before 2 p.m, local time. Power lines were knocked down as a result. Crews later conducted house-to-house searches.
Damaging tornado reports also came in from Greenleafton, Minnesota, located in the southeastern portion of the state. The Harmony Fire Department reported damage to several structures, including a barn. EF0 tornado damage was confirmed in the area.
Later on Monday, several tornadoes were reported to have touched down in Indiana.
A number of downed trees and power lines were reported in Pendleton, Indiana, after a tornado touched down on Monday night. Marcus Bailey, a local meteorologist, shared damage photos, taken by Joey Hutslar, which captures the damage the tornado had on local homes.
Damaging hail, strong winds and heavy rain also moved into the region with the storms.
In Naperville, Illinois, one resident took a video of golfball-sized hail battering his porch.
The storms forced a suspension in play in the Major League Baseball (MLB) game between the Chicago White Sox and the Kansas City Royals at Guaranteed Rate Field, located in the south side of Chicago. The game was halted in the fifth inning and is scheduled to resume Tuesday.
The storms later swept into Ohio on Monday night, triggering a number of tornado warnings in western portions of the state. A tornado emergency was issued for Montgomery County, which included Dayton, Ohio, as a large and destructive tornado was confirmed.
by Kevin Byrne (2019, May 28) AccuWeather
