
Entire Communities Demolished, Dozens Feared Dead After Twisters hit Iowa
GREENFIELD, Iowa
By: The Underground Meteorologist -- For THE BLAKE MOIA SHOW
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Survey teams from the National Weather Service found at least EF3-level tornado damage in Greenfield, Iowa, after the twister shredded the town Tuesday night. The tornado Tuesday afternoon left a wide swath of obliterated homes, splintered trees and crumpled cars in Greenfield, a town of 2,000 about 55 miles (88.5 kilometers) southwest of Des Moines.
Rescue crews frantically searched through rubble, twisted metal, demolished piles of debris, dodging downed power lines and other hazards looking for potential victims. The twister also ripped apart and crumpled massive power-producing wind turbines several miles outside the town.
The tornado appeared to have been on the ground for more than 40 miles and reached winds speeds at around 120 MPH.
A Seargent with the Iowa State Police tells the press that "Dozens are feared dead."
The deadly twister was spawned during a historically bad season for tornadoes in the U.S., at a time when climate change is heightening the severity of storms around the world. April had the second-highest number of tornadoes on record in the country.
Through Tuesday, there have been 859 confirmed tornadoes this year, 27% more than the U.S. sees on average, according to NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma. So far, Iowa’s had the most, with 81 confirmed twisters.
On Tuesday alone, the National Weather Service said it received 23 tornado reports, with most in Iowa and one each in Wisconsin and Minnesota.