NWS rates Monday tornado in Des Moines metro EF-1

URBANDALE, Iowa (Gray Television Iowa Capitol Bureau) - People in the Des Moines metro are still cleaning up after a tornado hit the area yesterday evening. The National Weather Service says first a derecho hit the area, followed by an EF-1 tornado.

The tornado was on the ground for 10 minutes and left a path of seven miles. Winds topped 100 miles per hour.

Jose Mendoza has lived his home in Urbandale, which is just outside of Des Moines, for 37 years.

Mendoza says he got home about 10 minutes before the storm came through. At first, all he noticed was light rain and the wind changed. “It happened so fast. Maybe 20 seconds. Under a minute. I heard a crackling sound. Went to check on my neighbor’s tree and it was my tree,” Mendoza said.

Mendoza says the tornado damaged his roof, walls, and blew out a window. He’s had help with cleanup from neighbors. “I have great neighbors. Lend me a chainsaw and been busy at it all night, all morning,” Mendoza said.

Polly Pattison lives around the block from Mendoza, and says the sky all of the sudden “went black as midnight” before the storm hit. “It happened so fast and then it was completely silent. And I said to my husband, ‘Bruce, we gotta get down. We have to get down because it’s probably coming at’ and at that point it was already passed,” Pattison said.

The most common type of damage from the storm was due to trees.

“It was a nice pin oak. We’re very sad to see it go. We’re deciding whether to take the whole thing down or leave part of it. We’ll probably take it all down because there’s so much damage on it,” Pattison said.

The tree that Pattison lost has been in her front yard since she moved in 35 years ago. “It’s easily 70 years old. Yeah, it’s a real loss but there are a lot worse things that can happen,” Pattison said.

Back at Mendoza’s house - he says he’s not sure how long recovery will take, but he’s optimistic. “This my first time through this so, just wait and see. Things work out,” Mendoza said.

Storm reports from the National Weather Service show no one was injured or killed from the storm.

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Conner Hendricks covers state government and politics for Gray Television-owned stations in Iowa. Email him at [email protected]; and follow him on Facebook at Conner Hendricks TV or on X/Twitter @ConnerReports.

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