At least one person has died after several tornadoes ripped through Iowa and caused widespread damage across the state.
Homes were flattened and flash flooding hit rural Iowa and several surrounding towns Tuesday evening, injuring at least a dozen people and leaving tens of thousands more without power.
Meteorologists warned that carnage could continue across the Midwest as a storm system developed overnight, with millions of people under severe weather warnings stretching from Missouri to Wisconsin.
The tornado-related death occurred in Adams County, Iowa, about 90 miles southwest of Des Moines, the county medical examiner told CNN.
Shocking images from Greenfield, Iowa, show entire homes razed after a tornado ravaged the state.
Iowa resident June Handsaker consoles her brother Larry after a tornado destroyed her home Tuesday afternoon in Nevada, Iowa
Images showed widespread damage hours after tornadoes ravaged the Iowa countryside, including entire trees ripped from their roots.
The small town of Greenfield, located about 40 miles from the death in Adams County, was among the hardest hit, and a tornado that developed around 5 p.m. leveled hundreds of homes and injured several people, said Iowa State Patrol spokesperson Sgt. » said Alex Dinkla.
Images shared on Facebook by a Greenfield resident showed entire homes reduced to rubble and turned into scattered debris, while brick walls were also flattened by the force of the tornado.
Huge wind turbines were also destroyed by the gusts, with at least three turbines destroyed in Adams County, and MidAmerican Energy Company said it has several more that were destroyed in Adair County.
Greenfield implemented a mandatory curfew from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. to assess the impact, but officials said the true extent of the damage may not be clear until dawn.
Intensive cleanup crews were spotted across the state, and unaffected counties, including Guthrie and Madison, were reportedly mobilized to help clean up the mess in Greenfield.
Initial reports indicated that several tornadoes were also reported in Montgomery County, and meteorologists warned that the storm system across the Midwest could generate several more tornadoes of catastrophic strength.
In total, across the Midwest, more than 25 million people were under at least a Level 3 severe thunderstorm warning as of Tuesday evening.
More than 25 million people are under severe weather warnings in the Midwest
Trees were shredded to their roots by the force of the tornadoes, with meteorologists predicting more could be generated, which could exceed speeds of 180 km/h.
Intensive cleanup crews have been spotted across the state, and unaffected counties, including Guthrie and Madison, have reportedly been mobilized to help clean up the mess in Greenfield (pictured).
Several areas were hit by flash flooding after the storm system swept through the Midwest.
Although much of the initial damage was limited to rural areas of Iowa, officials warned that several large cities and population centers could be in the storm’s path.
Chicago and Milwaukee are both at risk of being hit by destructive storms, and Des Moines International Airport has closed its runways in anticipation of tornadoes potentially touching down Tuesday evening.
Several areas also experienced flash flooding from the storms, with heavy rain warnings issued across the Midwest.
Through Tuesday evening, the Storm Prediction Center launched a rare “potentially dangerous situation” tornado watch covering Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois.
The tornado watch is only used when experts believe there is a high risk of multiple long-lasting tornadoes registering at EF2 or higher, meaning speeds of at least 110 mph.
Power lines were down across the state (photo from Nevada, Iowa), leaving tens of thousands of people without power.
In total, across the Midwest, more than 25 million people were under at least a Level 3 severe thunderstorm warning as of Tuesday evening.
Shocking footage from Greenfield shows extensive damage, with reports saying the city also reported several injuries.
Residents reported extensive damage to homes and businesses, although much of the early destruction was in rural areas of Iowa.
Greenfield residents described witnessing the devastation in their town, with Valerie Warrior telling KCCI she was riding her bike when the storm hit.
“There are houses everywhere,” Warrior said, noting that she ran to her basement to wait out the tornado before coming out to find the town covered in debris.
“Devastating,” she added.
Stunning footage from storm chaser Nahel Belgherze focused on the damage seen on a Greenfield street, as a sleepy suburb was turned into rubble in a matter of hours.
Resident Donnell Griffith said that despite the carnage, the small town of about 2,000 residents would recover from the storms.
“We’re a small community, we’re a tough community… we’re going to rebuild this community together,” she said.
“We are small but we are mighty.”
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