Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
December derecho was first in history
A tree in the yard at Brian and Lauri Myers' residence was toppled by the storm's winds.
A piece of loose sheet metal could be seen wrapped around a county road sign last Thursday on Highway 18 in Hartley after the storm.
Fence panels fell victim to high-speed winds at this Hartley residence. The Hartley Community Daycare Center's new fence was also destroyed.
Folks in the Midwest can say they witnessed weather history on Dec. 15.
The National Weather Service (NWS) declared the massive system that caused thunderstorms, tornados and high-speed winds a derecho. It was the second derecho to hit the Hawkeye State in as many years and the first ever derecho recorded in the country during the month of December.
A derecho is a widespread, long-lived windstorm associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms. Several schools across northwest Iowa dismissed early last Wednesday in preparation for the storm, which forced the NWS's Sioux Falls office to issue six tornado warnings and eight thunderstorm warnings.
At least 21 tornados touched down in Iowa during the event, including an EF1 that caused damage in Aurelia and surrounding area. The twister was on the ground for 6.7 miles and had peak wind speeds of 105 mph. Other tornadoes in northwest Iowa were confirmed near Sergeant Bluff (EF1) and Lawton (EF2).
Damage in Hartley, Everly and Royal amounted to a few downed trees and branches. Some yard fences were blown out and a few buildings were also dinged up.
According to Hartley Superintendent of Public Works Jaron Benz, the concession stand and storage building at Fanning Field sustained significant damage when a large portion of an ash tree fell on them.
"From the looks of it right now, the concession stand will at least need a new roof," he said. "There were trees down randomly throughout town, but luckily there wasn't much damage as far as the electrical system. There were some electrical issues caused by the high winds on the power line that feeds the sewer plant, but otherwise we were lucky."
Wind speeds at the Sheldon airport topped 72 mph, while gusts in Spencer peaked at 62 mph. O'Brien and Clay counties were both placed under a severe thunderstorm warning with portions of each falling under a tornado warning early on during the storm.
The day was indeed strange. Afternoon temperatures reached the mid-50s and low 60s before the system arrived after 5 p.m. In addition to high-speed winds, it dumped rain on the area before low temperatures changed it to sleet.
O'Brien County Emergency Management Director Jared Johnson said downed trees and branches were reported in every local city. The Sutherland area was hit hardest, with several buildings receiving heavy damage. Power outages were noted at different times in Paullina, Calumet and Sutherland, and several road signs were also damaged in multiple areas throughout the county.
Other parts of Iowa were hit much harder, with significant wind damage and power outages reported. At least five people died across Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota during the event, one of which was in eastern Iowa when a semitrailer rolled after being struck by high winds. The Iowa State Patrol confirmed last week the driver was killed during the incident.
Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for residents in 43 counties affected by the storm, including O'Brien County. Other northwest Iowa counties on the list included Buena Vista, Calhoun, Cherokee, Ida, Kossuth, Palo Alto, Pocahontas, Sac and Woodbury.
