Derecho Produces Wind Damage, Tornadoes Across the Upper Midwest on Veterans' Day

November 12,2015

Damaging winds from a derecho, along with tornadoes, tore through parts of four Midwest states on Veterans' Day, damaging buildings in one Iowa town and another striking Iowa's busiest airport.
(MORE: Damaging Storms Strike Several States)
Six tornadoes have been confirmed by the National Weather Service in Iowa, including an EF2 tornado and a pair of EF1 tornadoes. One tornado near Avoca, Iowa overturned semis and destroyed outbuildings. Another tornado formed on the Mississippi River before moving into Le Claire, Iowa, removing the roof of one home and damaging several others.

Preliminary severe weather reports from Wednesday, Nov. 11 - Thursday Nov. 12. A few of those reported as wind damage may be confirmed as tornadoes later.

There were also 105 reports of thunderstorm wind damage, mainly in Iowa, northern Missouri and Illinois, meeting the criteria for a derecho, a widespread, convective windstorm, according to senior meteorologist, Stu Ostro.
Peoria, Illinois, clocked a 71-mph wind gust at 7:44 p.m. CST Wednesday, breaking its all-time November wind gust record of 70 mph set during the Nov. 17, 2013, tornado outbreak.
In addition to the severe thunderstorms, the area of low pressure generated blizzard conditions in parts of the High Plains and a large area of strong winds not associated with thunderstorms in the Plains that will spread east through late this week.
Early Thursday morning, the severe thunderstorm threat quickly diminished and there were severe thunderstorms reports during the day on Thursday across the U.S.

Forecast: Severe Weather Takes a Breather

Short-Term Thunderstorm Forecast

Thunderstorms Wednesday took advantage of a combination of somewhat unstable air and very strong wind energy. Instability waned on Thursday and a relatively stable atmosphere will prevail across most of the Lower 48 into the first half of the weekend.
The bottom line is we're not expecting much in the way of thunderstorms, much less severe thunderstorms the next few days. Here is our latest forecast thinking:

• Friday: Isolated t-storms in the southern half of the Florida peninsula with a low severe t-storm risk. Outside chance of a brief waterspout on Lake Erie.
• Saturday: A couple of t-storms in South Florida and the Florida Keys. A t-storm is also possible over the Big Bend Country of far western Texas.

A significant severe weather event is possible early next week.
(MORE: Where November Tornadoes Are Most Common)
For specific tornado threat forecasts, check out the latest TOR:CON forecasts from severe weather expert, Dr. Greg Forbes.

Radar, Watches & Warnings

Below are radar maps focusing on areas with the best chance of severe thunderstorms or flash flooding, either currently or during the forecast period. The maps update every 5 minutes; refresh your browser for the latest image.
Hollow red outlines denote tornado warnings, while yellow outlines denote severe thunderstorm warnings. Larger areas of solid light-red shading are tornado watches, while larger areas of solid light-yellow shading are severe thunderstorm watches. All watches and warnings are issued by the National Weather Service.
(MORE: View National Interactive Radar Map | Difference Between a Watch and a Warning)

Current Radar with Watches & Warnings

Current Radar with Watches & Warnings

Severe weather and tornado outbreaks are not unusual in November. In fact, November is a climatological "second season" of severe weather, not simply in the Deep South but, occasionally, in parts of the Midwest.
Almost two years ago, an outbreak of 72 tornadoes raked through parts of seven states, including a pair of EF4 tornadoes in Washington, Illinois, and near New Minden, Illinois.

PHOTOS: Tornadoes, Flooding in the South (Late Oct. 2015)