Aerial Photos of Tornados Path - Devastating...

wartknight

Well-Known Member
Mar 24, 2006
6,736
175
63
I want people to see what a nice town it was, but can't really see that from the air. Here is a satellite link to yahoo.
The path of the tornado came right through the SW corner of town where HWY 14 bends from NS to EW.
It flattened everything from Conn St to 4th Ave all through town and then everything south of the HS as it angled toward New Hartford. The south bank of lights is gone from the football stadium, but the north bank is still there so those 53+ yards between them made a huge difference. It also stayed north of the water tower.
All the stuff between those areas is flattened, many, many other homes with extensive damage. What this also doesn't show is several homes that were up or being built on the new golf course on the East side of town.
Yahoo! Maps, Driving Directions, and Traffic
 

cloneu

Well-Known Member
Jul 26, 2007
4,674
293
83
Urbandale
www.golfdsm.com

CYKOFAN

Well-Known Member
Mar 27, 2006
4,947
120
63
I thought I heard that the tornado in Parkersburg reached a mile wide and the one in Greensburg, Kansas last year was as wide as two miles. Is that possible with a tornado? I guess if it completely levels a town the size of Greensburg (about 1500 people) it would have to cut a very wide path.
 

wartknight

Well-Known Member
Mar 24, 2006
6,736
175
63
I thought I heard that the tornado in Parkersburg reached a mile wide and the one in Greensburg, Kansas last year was as wide as two miles. Is that possible with a tornado? I guess if it completely levels a town the size of Greensburg (about 1500 people) it would have to cut a very wide path.

I think the NWS officially put the one in P-burg down as .6-.7 miles wide, and then 1.2 miles wide in rural Dunkerton.
I thought the one in Greensburg was a mile wide, but I could be mistaken.
 

CYKOFAN

Well-Known Member
Mar 27, 2006
4,947
120
63
It might have been a mile wide in Greensburg but I know they said winds of over 250mph, which made it even more powerful than the one in Parkersburg.
 

Cyclone90

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Jan 29, 2007
1,715
264
83
Here's a great source of other photos and video from the Iowa State University/Iowa Environmental Mesonet. Simply amazing.

LINK

This includes National Weather Service up close damage survey photos, Johnny Mac's IowaHelicoptor aerial photos, and other media stills and video.
 

TarHeelHawk

Well-Known Member
Oct 22, 2008
8,595
190
63
44
W. Des Moines
My company makes deliveries to Kirksville MO every once in a while, and I was the lucky driver that got to go down there this week.

Apparently a tornado went through there a few weeks back, right on the North side of town as you come in on Hwy 63. There is really nice subdivision there, and quite a few homes were torn up pretty bad. The car dealership across the highway didn't have a car with tarp or duct tape acting as windows.

It looked like a bunch of small bombs had gone off in a completely random manner.
 

dmclone

Well-Known Member
Oct 20, 2006
20,792
4,920
113
50131
I used to live about 2 miles from where this twister hit outside of New Hartford.

A few weeks ago I went back to Parkersburg and I hate to say this about something that was so devastating but it may end up being a big positive for the town. I remember the houses that were in the area that got destroyed and they were mostly cheap old houses. Besdies the trees being gone, the new houses are very nice and will really improve P Burg.
 

DJK15

Well-Known Member
Apr 17, 2008
3,690
138
63
I was living in Cedar Falls when this monster tore through Parkersburg. At the time I had no idea how close the town was to CF. I also have family in Muscatine - a tornado took about 50% of the houses on their street 2 years ago. I've had some really close calls with twisters lately...
 

AmesCloneFan

Member
Aug 17, 2008
354
25
18
41
Ames
Thanks for bumping this thread. One year's time lets you forget how terrible this was, looking at the photos again reminded me.

And yes, better be knocking on some wood after those "light tornado season" comments!
 

Latest posts

Help Support Us

Become a patron