Storm officially classified as “derecho” through Iowa, South Dakota

MASON CITY — The powerful storm that rolled over Iowa Monday night and into Tuesday has been classified as a derecho, an exceptionally long-lasting and damaging wind storm, which some call a land hurricane.

Winds in the storm topped off in northwest Iowa at 99 miles an hour, and cleanup in multiple north-central Iowa communities statewide may take a week. 

Parts of Iowa were walloped with more powerful storms Tuesday night and into this morning, marking the third straight night of wicked weather. Along with three nights in a row of storms,

Iowa also had multiple recent days with heat advisories and extreme heat warnings, as heat indices climbed as high as 115 degrees some afternoons.