Power Outage in Oelwein, IA

Numerous power lines and tree branches were blown down in Oelwein, especially on the northeast side of town.

Strong east winds from an early spring storm gusted has high as 61 mph near West Union. The strong winds flipped a semi onto its side north of West Union causing State Highway 150 to be closed for almost two hours. Trees and power lines were also downed by the winds.

A 62 mph wind gust was measured by the automated weather observing equipment at the Oelwein airport. A 30 inch diameter tree was blown down in Oelwein. Power outages also occurred from downed lines and damage to transformers.

Northwest winds of 20 to 35 mph with gusts of 40 to 50 mph produced a period of blizzard conditions across mainly the southwest half of Fayette County. Whiteout conditions occurred during the blizzard and the blowing snow caused severe drifting to occur that closed some roads. Power outages occurred as the heavy, wet snow and the high winds combined to bring down power lines and tree branches. All the schools in the county were either closed or delayed the start of classes on both the 20th and 21st. The highest recorded wind speed was 55 mph from the automated weather observing equipment at the Oelwein airport.

North winds between 25 and 35 mph with higher gusts, created a period of blizzard conditions across Fayette County during the morning and afternoon of the 20th. As a result of the blizzard, roads were closed, vehicles became trapped in the snow, some power outages occurred and all schools in the county were closed. The highest reported snow total was 10.5 inches in Oelwein.

Blizzard conditions led to seven known accidents and rougly thirty-nine vehicles to end up in ditches. Power outages were also reported in the cities of Wadena and Oelwein.

Power lines were blown down across the county and power outages occurred in the cities of Elgin and Clermont. Valley Community School closed at noon on the 27th due to the loss of power.

Power lines were blown down, some farm buildings were damaged, and trees were blown down just west of Oelwein from an apparent downburst.

The cooperative weather observer reported several power lines down on the south side of Oelwein and a marquee sign at Oelwein vet clinic blown down.

Numerous trees and power lines were blown down in Oelwein. The hardest hit area was on the northern side of town. Corn was also flattened in fields just northwest of town.

An area of storms rolled across portions of northeast Iowa during the afternoon of August 10th and caused some wind damage. A shed was rolled over in Fayette (Fayette County), trees were damaged in Clermont (Fayette County) and power lines were downed in West Union (Fayette County).

Scattered thunderstorms moved across northeast Iowa during the late morning and early afternoon of June 26th. These storms dropped some hail near Lime Springs (Howard County) that ranged in size from a nickel up to a quarter. These storms also produced wind damage just north of Lime Springs where trees and power lines were blown down and the doors to a metal machine shed were blown onto the roof of the shed. A private weather station measured a 67 mph wind gust in Waucoma (Fayette County).

A strong early spring storm system produced snow, sleet and freezing rain across northeast Iowa from April 10th into the 11th. Snowfall amounts generally ranged from 1 to 3 inches. Strong east winds of 25 to 35 mph with higher gusts, brought down power lines across portions of Fayette County where enough freezing rain occurred to coat exposed surfaces. The strong winds also blew over a semi truck on State Highway 150 north of West Union (Fayette County) causing the road to be closed for almost two hours.

Severe thunderstorms developed during the afternoon of June 30th across northeast Iowa ahead of a cold front. As these storms moved across the area, they primarily produced strong winds that blew down trees and power lines. Estimated gusts of 75 mph occurred in Garber (Clayton County) with an 80 mph gust estimated in Volga (Clayton County).

Severe thunderstorms produced damaging winds in the late evening hours of September 2nd across parts of northeast Iowa. Law enforcement reported power outages and several trees down which blocked some streets in Oelwein (Fayette County). A trained spotter in Strawberry Point (Clayton County) estimated a wind gust of 60 miles per hour.

During the afternoon of May 22nd, severe thunderstorms developed along a cold front as it moved through northeast Iowa. These severe thunderstorms produced three confirmed tornadoes. The first tornado occurred in Howard County and was rated an EF2. The second (EF1) and third (EF0) tornadoes both occurred in Fayette County. Significant damage occurred between Chester (Howard County) and Lime Springs (Howard County) where several farms had buildings completely destroyed or significantly damaged. Three minor injuries occurred with the Howard County tornado. Around 850 customers were without power after the storms moved through in Howard County. Damages were estimated to be almost $700 thousand.

An isolated severe thunderstorm hit the town of Fayette during the evening of July 7. On the Upper Iowa University campus, trees were uprooted and some property damage was reported. Parts of Fayette were without power for several hours.

Thunderstorm wind gusts of 60 to 65 mph knocked down trees and power lines.