AVOCA, Iowa (AP) — The National Weather Service has confirmed that some farm damage near Avoca in western Iowa was caused by a tornado.
The service said Wednesday night that a survey team examined the damage and video recordings before rating the twister an EF-1, with winds ranging from 86 to 110 mph.
The service says the tornado touched down Wednesday afternoon in a cornfield west-southwest of Avoca and moved northeast, toppling a semitrailer on Interstate 80 and damaging outbuildings on several farmsteads. No injuries have been reported.
The twister was spawned by a fast-moving storm system that dropped nearly a foot of snow on the Rockies before heading east. It dumped snow where it met cold enough air and loosed rain and even hail elsewhere. Winds gusting to 60 mph accompanied the system.
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