Power Outage in Bennett, IA

A tornado touched down 3 miles north of Atalissa, Iowa in Cedar County, snapping power poles and large trees along its path. It caused significant damage to two homes southwest of Bennett, Iowa, and flipped over a semi along interstate 80. It also damaged several concrete block silos south of Bennett. The tornado continued to track to the northeast through a rural area, causing sporadic tree damage. The tornado entered extreme northwest Scott County about a third of a mile south of 220th St., then travelled around one mile before entering Clinton County about a half mile west of the intersection of 280th St. and 110th Ave. The tornado then dissipated about 2 miles south of Wheatland. The peak winds were estimated at 120 mph. The tornado was rated EF-2 in Cedar County, and EF-0 in Scott and Clinton Counties.

Widespread straight-line winds that produced extensive damage were reported throughout Cedar County, associated with a derecho. These winds lasted around an hour in total at any one location, even though the initial line of storms moved out quickly. Damaging straight-line winds continued and were associated with the rear inflow jet. Maximum wind speeds were estimated to be 80 to 120 MPH for much of the county. These estimates were determined based off NWS Storm Surveys, damage reports and photos submitted through social media. The duration of strong winds caused extensive damage to most trees, powerlines, crops, and structures in their path. The widespread damage also resulted in long duration power outages.

Tornado was rated EF-1 with peak winds of 110 MPH, a path length of 5.33 miles and max width 100 yards. A tornado touched down southwest of Bennett and tracked northeast to near Wheatland. A farm just north of Bennett sustained the greatest damage where all of the outbuildings and most of the trees were destroyed. Elsewhere along the path, damage occurred to trees, outbuildings, and power lines. This tornado continued into Clinton County.