As a weather expert friend said today, “this was one for the record books”. Advanced warnings certainly made it known that this monster was on it’s way…reports from Des Moines and central Iowa which by interstate is some 2 plus hours away…noted significant wind damage of all sorts. But despite the fact that this storm, known as a Derecho, didn’t sneak up on us, it was hard to believe how fast it traveled, and how strong it was once it arrived.
A Derecho, which is honestly the first time I have ever heard that name used in relation to a storm here, is noted as a wide-spread, long-lived, wind storm. Hurricane like winds are possible and some wind gusts in this storm exceeded 100 mph. It’s closing speed on us here was estimated to be around 70 mph. We barley arrived ahead of it, and I got off three series of three panoramic shots, moving from left to right, before all hell broke loose. When the leading edge of these beasts pass overhead, the calm before the storm is gone in seconds.
Damage reports are still coming in as I write this, but destruction is said to be widespread with some crop fields being totally leveled, many trees are down in residential areas, roofs are torn from buildings as well as other damage, semi’s lie overturned, and, well the list goes on. It’s a good thing we only see one of these on very rare occasion…they are just terribly destructive.