The National Weather Service confirmed two EF-1 tornadoes struck our area Monday afternoon, June 24, 2013.
Storm survey teams assessed damage after they received multiple reports from law enforcement and trained spotters of tornadoes spotted during Monday’s storms. On the Enhanced Fujita Scale, a tornado rated EF1 has sustained wind speeds between 86 and 110 miles per hour.
The storm survey results indicated an EF-1 tornado touched down two-and-a-half miles northwest of Muscatine, Iowa leaving a damage path of about 6.5 miles.
The tornado was 100 yards wide and had max wind speeds of 110 miles per hour. It was on the ground for an estimated six minutes.
The crew assessing damage said the most intense damage happened in the business district along Highway 61 in northern Muscatine where a car dealership, a church, a hotel and several other businesses were damaged.
“Damage continued down New Era Road where several farmsteads were damaged,” according to the NWS website.
The NWS confirmed a second EF-1 tornado touched down a mile northeast of Atkinson, Illinois at 4 p.m. That storm was 50 yards wide and had maximum winds of 90 miles per hour.
The Atkinson-area tornado traveled about four miles, and was on the ground for an estimated five minutes.
The Atkinson-area tornado snapped tree trunks, took down large tree limbs, destroyed a grain bin and damaged the roof of a home.
The NWS was continuing to assess damage from a possible tornado near Van Orin, Illinois.
Download the free News 8 App – for iOS, click here and for Android, click here
