Storms soak Fort Dodge
High winds toppled trees, utility poles
-Messenger photo by Bill Shea <BR> A mass of downed tree branches and power lines blocked the intersection of Seventh Street and 12th Avenue North late Tuesday afternoon after a severe thunderstorm hammered the Fort Dodge area. The top portion of a utility pole was snapped off and was suspended above the street in a tangle of wires.
-Messenger photo by Bill Shea <BR> The top portion of a utility pole that was broken off during Tuesday afternoon's storm is suspended above the intersection of Seventh Street and 12th Avenue North in a tangled mass of wires.
-Messenger photo by Bill Shea <BR> This house at the intersection of Seventh Avenue South and 19th Street was damaged when a storm Tuesday afternoon toppled a massive tree. A power line was also pulled down.
-Messenger photo by Bill Shea <BR> A very large tree near the intersection of Seventh Avenue South and 19th Street was toppled during Tuesday afternoon's thunderstorm. The falling tree pulled down a power line and damaged a house.
-Messenger photo by Bill Shea <BR> A large tree branch blocks part of the 200 block of North 17th Street after Tuesday afternoon's thunderstorm.
-Messenger photo by Bill Shea <BR> A mass of downed tree branches and power lines blocked the intersection of Seventh Street and 12th Avenue North late Tuesday afternoon after a severe thunderstorm hammered the Fort Dodge area. The top portion of a utility pole was snapped off and was suspended above the street in a tangle of wires.
-Messenger photo by Bill Shea <BR> The top portion of a utility pole that was broken off during Tuesday afternoon's storm is suspended above the intersection of Seventh Street and 12th Avenue North in a tangled mass of wires.
-Messenger photo by Bill Shea <BR> This house at the intersection of Seventh Avenue South and 19th Street was damaged when a storm Tuesday afternoon toppled a massive tree. A power line was also pulled down.
-Messenger photo by Bill Shea <BR> A very large tree near the intersection of Seventh Avenue South and 19th Street was toppled during Tuesday afternoon's thunderstorm. The falling tree pulled down a power line and damaged a house.
-Messenger photo by Bill Shea <BR> A large tree branch blocks part of the 200 block of North 17th Street after Tuesday afternoon's thunderstorm.
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Two rounds of thunderstorms dumped up to three inches of rain on the Fort Dodge area Tuesday. The storms knocked out power to thousands and created the potential for minor flooding along the Des Moines River this week.
No injuries were reported.
"I'd say we got pretty lucky again," said Dylan Hagen, the Webster County emergency management coordinator.
The first round of storms hit the Fort Dodge area in the pre-dawn hours. It dropped a lot of rain, but didn't cause any damage, according to Hagen.
The second round of storms that entered the area at about 3 p.m. included heavy rain, some hail and winds of up to 70 mph.
Warning sirens went off throughout Fort Dodge because of the heavy winds associated with the storm. Residents are accustomed to the sirens sounding off for tornado warnings. Hagen said the sirens are now also activated for severe thunderstorms that have winds of 70 mph or greater. Tuesday's storm was the first one of that kind that the Fort Dodge sirens were activated for.
Those winds tore down trees and power lines. As of 10 p.m., MidAmerican Energy had 1,916 customers without electrical service in Fort Dodge, plus another 540 customers without power in rural Webster County.
At Seventh Street and 12th Avenue North, the wind knocked down trees and shattered a utility pole, leaving the top half of the pole suspended above the intersection in a knotted mass of wires.
At the intersection of Seventh Avenue South and 19th Street, a very large tree was toppled. It damaged a house and pulled down power lines.
During the storm, a truck traveling on Samson Avenue just north of 330th Street in southern Webster County was blown over. It landed on its side. The driver was unhurt, Hagen said.
Fairbanks Avenue about a mile south of Iowa Highway 7 was closed due to flooding, he said.
The Fort Dodge area received 2.5 to 3 inches of rain Tuesday, the National Weather Service reported.
A flood watch remains in effect for the Des Moines River between Humboldt and Stratford.
"We're expecting river levels to jump back up," Hagen said.
Minor flooding could occur as early as today, according to the National Weather Service.