Tornado causes damage in northern Iowa
An EF-2 tornado with 120 mph winds left a path of destruction in Graettinger.
KCCI EIGHT NEWS. IOWA’S NEWS LEADER. GOOD PICTURES TODAY MARCUS. THANK YOU. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SURVEYORS ARE LOOKING AT STORM DAMAGE ACROSS THE STATE. METEOROLOGISTS HAVE ALREADY CONFIRMED SIX TORNADOES SO FAR THIS WEEK. THE HIGHEST RATED WAS EAST OF GREENWICH PALO ALTO COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. THEY HAVE NEW DRONE VIDEO SHOWING THAT TORNADO’S PATH. LET’S TAKE A LOOK. THIS IS A BIRD’S EYE VIEW. RIGHT NOW. THE LINE OF IMPACT STARTS IN A FARM FIELD BEFORE CROSSING OVER A HIGHWAY. THE DAMAGE THE TORNADO CAUSED TO HOMES IN ITS PATH. AS YOU CAN SEE RIGHT HERE, IS CLEARLY VISIBLE. YEAH, IT LOOKS LIKE IT TOOK OUT A COUPLE OF GRAIN BINS. THE ROOF OF THAT HOUSE THERE, AND THEN LEVELED A NUMBER OF OTHER STRUCTURES ON THAT PROPERTY. THE TORNADO KEPT MOVING, AS YOU CAN SEE, AND YOU CAN SEE IT IN THE GROUND TO THE TORNADO, SPINNING UP DEBRIS AND LEAVING IT SCATTERED ACROSS THE FIELDS. HERE, THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLASSIFIED THIS TORNADO AS AN EF TWO, WITH PEAK WIND SPEEDS OF 120 MILES AN HOUR. IT WAS ON THE GROUND FOR NEARLY FIVE MILES AND WAS ABOUT THE WIDTH OF A FOOTBALL FIELD. PALO ALTO IS ONE OF FIVE COUNTIES INCLUDED IN GOVERNOR REYNOL
Tornado causes damage in northern Iowa
An EF-2 tornado with 120 mph winds left a path of destruction in Graettinger.
Updated: 7:12 PM CDT Apr 17, 2026
The National Weather Service is surveying storm damage across Iowa after this week’s severe weather. An EF-2 tornado east of Graettinger Monday, has already been confirmed. Drone footage from Palo Alto County Emergency Management shows the tornado’s path through rural farm fields, with visible damage to homes in its path. The National Weather Service classified the tornado as an EF-2, with peak wind speeds of 120 mph. It traveled nearly five miles and was about the width of a football field. Palo Alto County is one of five counties included in Governor Kim Reynolds’ disaster proclamation. It also covers Buchanan, Clay, Henry and Plymouth counties.
GRAETTINGER, Iowa —
The National Weather Service is surveying storm damage across Iowa after this week’s severe weather. An EF-2 tornado east of Graettinger Monday, has already been confirmed.
Drone footage from Palo Alto County Emergency Management shows the tornado’s path through rural farm fields, with visible damage to homes in its path.
The National Weather Service classified the tornado as an EF-2, with peak wind speeds of 120 mph. It traveled nearly five miles and was about the width of a football field.
Palo Alto County is one of five counties included in Governor Kim Reynolds’ disaster proclamation. It also covers Buchanan, Clay, Henry and Plymouth counties.