Two tornadoes target Iowan town Lenox

Buildings leveled, roofs blown off and the debris covered the small town. At least 35 blocks in the small Iowan town of Lenox (pop: 1,407) in Taylor County  received some damage..

The first tornado was an EF0 with a peak wind of about 80MPH (width of 0.3mile; path of 0.6mile) , and the second one an EF1, with more fierce winds of 105MPH (width of 0.3mile; path of 1.2mile) . There were NO fatalities or serious injuries reported, NWS said. Taylor County was declared a disaster are after the two tornadoes struck, increasing the state’s 2011 tornado tally to 30.

Severe whether continued in Iowa Thursday night, with  3-in diameter hail attacking  western Iowa counties of Monona and Woodbury, a report said.

A long spring and summer might be ahead: The state’s 30 tornadoes in 2011 are just a few off the tally for all of 2010. Weather experts credit that to a waning La Nina pattern. Severe weather rolled through Iowa again Thursday night. Hail almost 3 inches in diameter was reported in Monona and Woodbury counties in western Iowa.   (DesMoinesRegister)

THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN SOUTH CENTRAL
LENOX ALONG SOUTH MAPLE STREET…BETWEEN WEST PLATTE STREET AND
WEST IOWA STREET BEFORE MOVING NORTH IN A CURVING PATH UNTIL IT
REACHED WALNUT STREET. THE TORNADO THEN MOVED GENERALLY DUE
NORTH… ALONG WALNUT STREET EVENTUALLY DISSIPATING ABOUT ONE
BLOCK NORTH OF WEST VAN BUREN STREET AROUND 440 PM CDT. THE
DAMAGE PATH WAS GENERALLY DIFFUSE WITH TREE DAMAGE AND SHINGLES
REMOVED FROM BUILDINGS. THE GREATEST DAMAGE OCCURRED ALONG NORTH
MAIN STREET WHERE TWO BRICK BUILDINGS RECEIVED ROOF AND UPPER FACADE
DAMAGE. (CRH/NOAA)

THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN THE SOUTHWEST

  PART OF LENOX NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF STATE HIGHWAY 49 AND WEST

  PLATTE STREET...ONLY A COUPLE BLOCKS SOUTHWEST OF THE TOUCHDOWN

  LOCATION OF TORNADO NUMBER 1. THE TORNADO TRAVELED NORTHWARD

  ALONG STATE HIGHWAY 49...WITH THE GREATEST DAMAGE OCCURRING

  SHORTLY AFTER TOUCHDOWN ALONG HIGHWAY 49 BETWEEN WEST IOWA

  STREET AND WEST ILLINOIS STREET. IN THAT AREA...ONE HOUSE

  SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO A SECOND STORY DORMER. ALSO IN THAT AREA...A

  MANUFACTURED HOME ON A FOUNDATION HAD APPROXIMATELY ONE HALF OF

  ITS ROOF REMOVED. THE TORNADO THEN CONTINUED NORTH ALONG STATE

  HIGHWAY 49 FROM HERE... GENERALLY CAUSING TREE DAMAGE AND

  SHINGLES TO BE REMOVED FROM ROOFS. EVENTUALLY THE TORNADO TURNED

  NORTHWEST JUST NORTH OF WEST TEMPLE STREET WHERE AN OLDER HOME

  WHICH HOUSED A BUSINESS HAD ITS ROOF REMOVED. SHINGLE AND TREE

  DAMAGE CONTINUED AS THE TORNADO TRACKED NORTHWEST BEFORE FINALLY

  EXITING LENOX ALONG VAN BUREN STREET WEST OF NORTH SPEAR STREET.

  THE TORNADO CONTINUED OVER OPEN FIELDS BEFORE DISSIPATING ABOUT

  ONE HALF MILE NORTHWEST OF LENOX AROUND 448 PM CDT. (CRH/NOAA)