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Iowa tornado videos: Sirens buzz in Iowa City amid warnings, twister seen in West Liberty; watch
A rope tornado hit West Liberty, Iowa as warnings spread across Iowa; sirens blared in Iowa City and residents were urged to take shelter.
A rope tornado was spotted in West Liberty, Iowa, amid a tornado warning for most of the state, alongside parts of Missouri and Illinois. In Iowa City, Johnson County, tornado sirens went off as NWS asked residents to seek shelter.
Notably, West Liberty in Muscatine County is just east of Iowa City. As the tornado moved through towards Iowa City, much of Johnson County was put under alert by the National Weather Service.
Videos of the rope tornado in West Liberty were shared by storm chasers on social media. Here's a video shared by storm chaser, Chase Goleman on X.
Residents of Iowa City shared visuals of the sirens going off in the city amid the tornado near West Liberty. Here are some visuals shared by Wayne Drehs, University of Iowa journalism professor.
Iowa Tornado Warnings: What To Know
Much of east‑central Iowa was placed under a warning by the National Weather Service on Wednesday. Southern Johnson County and northern Washington County were the two areas primarily affected by Thursday's warning.
"Two areas of thunderstorms are moving across eastern Iowa and far northwestern Illinois and are capable of producing all severe hazards," NWS Quad Cities said in an update at 4:52pm CDT. "Have multiple ways to receive warnings through the evening and remember when thunder roars, go indoors!
Earlier, a tornado warning was issued in the afternoon for storms near Keota, Richmond, Wellman, Kalona, and parts of Iowa City, effective until about 4:45pm CDT. It has now expired.
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Tornado Outlook For Illinois And Missouri
A separate tornado warning covered areas such as Promise City and Millerton in the early afternoon, about 65 miles south of Des Moines. Much of southern and eastern Iowa also remained under a tornado watch into the evening.
A tornado watch has been in place for parts of west‑central and northern Missouri. Meanwhile, for central and parts of northern Illinois, a moderate tornado risk has been projected.
“Severe thunderstorms capable of producing a few tornadoes appear probable across parts of eastern Iowa, northern Illinois, and southern Wisconsin this afternoon,” the NWS said in an update. “Additionally, damaging thunderstorm winds will be possible from eastern Iowa northeast into Michigan.”
In Missouri, the areas of the south of the Kansas City metro: parts of Cass, Bates, Vernon and Henry counties. In Illinois, counties such as Sangamon, Christian, Macon, and eastward toward McLean were placed in the high-risk zone.
