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

November 14,2015

Damaging winds from a derecho, along with tornadoes, tore through parts of four Midwest states on Veterans' Day, Nov. 11,2015, damaging buildings in one Iowa town and another striking Iowa's busiest airport.
(MORE: Damaging Storms Strike Several States)
10 tornadoes were preliminarily 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.

Two tornadoes were also confirmed in neighboring states. A tornado in Missouri was rated an EF1, as power poles were snapped and a barn was destroyed. A tornado in Illinois was also an EF1, which caused the porch to be ripped off of a home just north of Geneseo.
Dr. Greg Forbes estimates that 15 tornadoes occurred in this outbreak, noting that "not every tornado gets confirmed by damage surveys, but many of the still-preliminary tornadoes were sighted by spotters and usually eventually get into the official NWS records."
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.