Storms Plague the Area Overnight

Sunday evening became very stormy with wind gusts as high as 70 mph, tornadic activity, and heavy rains. Tornadoes initially struck near Wesley before moving toward Crystal Lake. That cell then progressed toward Leland. There was a report of a home being damaged by the tornado. Power lines were taken down near Joice. Power also went out in Forest City, Lake Mills, Thompson, and Crystal Lake.

Trees were reported down in Joice, Lake Mills, Leland, Scarville, Wesley, and Mason City. some of the trees were reported to be across the roadways and blocking traffic. Emergency crews were quickly able to clear the streets to reopen traffic.

Power lines were reportedly down in Crystal Lake, Joice, and Leland. Worth County also had reports of lines down along with trees. In a couple of cases, the sparks from the lines reportedly caught the trees on fire. At midnight, Winnebago County had 384 people out of power. Worth County reported 584. Hancock County had 994 customers without power. Kossuth County had 152.

Winds were reported to be near 60 mph in Austin, Minnesota while Nora Springs saw winds in excess of 70 mph. Fifty mile per hour winds went through the northern part of Forest City and into Leland. Hail was reported in Britt and in Woden of around a quarter inch. Other locations saw pea size hail such as Crystal Lake, Rake, and Lake Mills.

Tornadoes were the major concern for many in the area. Pocahontas County reported the first tornado on the ground for the evening around 9:30pm. Kossuth County Emergency Management then reported a tornado near Wesley around 9:30pm. At 9:45pm, Hancock County Emergency Management reported a tornado on the ground  north of Crystal Lake. That same cell prompted sirens to go off in Forest City, Leland, and Lake Mills. The cell reportedly moved up to near Leland where a house reportedly received extensive damage.

Around 10:15pm, Cerro Gordo County Fire officials reported a tornado on the ground just south of Mason City near U. S. Highway 18 and Partridge Avenue.

Storms continued to thunder across the area till almost midnight. Officials with the National Weather Service say that this is a part of a strong low pressure system moving through the area. The area may see another round of storms on Monday evening but the focus of severe weather may be more to the south.