Tornado hits Mapleton, IA!
Reports are still coming in, but an apparently large, destructive tornado has hit the town of Mapleton, Iowa this evening. Several storm chasers were streaming this tornado live, and debris could be seen flying through the air. Dick McGowan reports that major structural damage has occurred. Above are radar images taken as the storm moved over town -- velocity was maxing out at 161 kts of shear at the time, so this was very likely a strong to violent tornado. This extremely dangerous storm could still be producing a tornado as it moves east of Mapleton at 25 MPH. A tornado watch remains in effect until 1:00 AM for portions of eastern NE and the northwestern half of Iowa, and residents in these areas should keep their weather radio nearby and monitor the NWS and local media for warnings! - Tomorrow looks like a potential high risk for eastern IA, northern IL and much of Wisconsin!
http://www.tornadovideos.net/component/content/article/36-tornadoes/1342-tornado-hits-mapleton-ia