DES MOINES, Iowa — Strong thunderstorms moved across Iowa late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, bringing heavy rain, thunder, lightning, large hail and damaging winds to several areas.
Intense wind gusts caused damage to trees and even a few homes and buildings in Hardin County, especially near Eldora and Hubbard.
The National Weather Service in Des Moines says roof damage was reported at a home in Hubbard around 2:20 a.m. Wednesday.
Flooding also quickly became a concern with the storms, since cells passed over the same areas repeatedly for several hours.
Flash Flood Warnings were issued for several areas near Highway 30, but those have since been replaced with areal flood warnings.
Some ponding on roads and flooded streets or fields may continue to pose issues in Boone, Dallas, Greene, Hamilton, Hardin, Marshall and Story counties through Wednesday afternoon.
Here are a few rainfall totals from the overnight storms:
- 4.6" in Boone
- 4.6" SE of Story City
- 4.5" in West Boone
- 3.6" in Story City
- 3.04" in Gilbert
The heavy rain also caused some rivers to rise in central Iowa, particularly along the South Skunk River and Ioway Creek in Story County.
A River Flood Warning is in effect for the South Skunk River near Highway 30 for the next 48 hours, but hydrologists at the National Weather Service in Des Moines expect the river to only experience minor flooding, and the water should stay just within the river banks.
Another round of thunderstorms is forecast to develop along and east of I-35 on Wednesday afternoon and evening, but the majority of those storms should avoid areas that are still water-logged from the first wave of rain.