Storm Survey Results of the Sibley Iowa EF4 Tornado - June 25, 2010

After sunset on June 25, 2010, a large tornado formed 3 miles west of Little Rock, Iowa  This tornado had a path length of approximately 14 miles and was on the ground for 30 to 40 minutes.  The tornado crossed Highway 60 about 2 miles south of Sibley before turning to the northeast and lifting approximately 2.5 miles southeast of Sibley.  This tornado was rated EF4.  There was also evidence of a second tornado which formed 2 miles south of Little Rock and either lifted after travelling one mile or merged with the large tornado to the south.  This tornado was rated EF1.  A kmz file has been created which can be opened in Google Earth to look at the damage path of the tornado.  Click the above link to download the file.

Below is a map showing the path of both tornadoes across eastern Lyon County and western Osceola County Iowa. 

An indepth description of the damage across the area, including pictures, is shown below.  Please refer to the more detailed maps for the location of the damage described below.

 Damage southwest of Little Rock, Iowa

1. Rating: EF0  The first evidence of the tornado touching down - approximately 3 miles west of Little Rock Iowa.

2. Rating: EF1  A hog confinement building was destroyed.  Less than a dozen hogs were killed. 

3. Rating: EF2  Outbuildings of a farm were destroyed by the tornado.  A house was damaged and trees were severely damaged.

4. Rating: EF2  Several older outbuildings were destroyed and the house was severely damaged.  The shelter belt trees were also severely damaged by the tornado as it passed to the west of this farmstead.

Damage to a home.  All of the windows were knocked out and there were several dents in the house due to debris.  The chimney was also blown off of the house.

Debris from several outbuildings spread across the yard.  Leaves and branches were stripped from the trees.

5. Rating: EF1  A metal building and a garage were damaged by the tornado.

The outer wall of the garage is buckled inward as the garage door is blown out by the force of the wind.

Damage to the roof and the siding of a metal outbuilding.  Metal from the building is wrapped into a nearby tree.

 6. Rating: Unknown  There was debris across the area as the tornado crossed Lily Ave.  The tornado damage path was approximately 100 yards wide.

Corn was scoured to the ground by the tornado.  Notice the debris also strewn across the field.

A grain bin was tossed across the road by the tornado.

7. Rating: Unknown  The tornado crossed Log Ave.  The damage path has widened as it moved across the fields with corn stripped and a few power poles down.

The corn was scoured by the tornado.  There is also a stop sign which is down.

8. Rating: EF1  A hog confinement building was destroyed with an estimated 50 hogs killed by the tornado.

The hog confinement building was almost completely destroyed.  However, the concrete walls remained standing while the wood and metal portion of the building was completely destroyed.

Damage south of Little Rock, Iowa

9. Rating: EF1  A second tornado formed to the west and crossed the road.  Power poles were snapped and the corn was stripped.  There were also corn cribs thrown into the field.

One power pole was snapped and several other power poles are leaned over by the tornado.  There is also debris caught in the wires.

A.  Rating: EF1  A garage was destroyed by the tornado and nearby trees were severely damaged.  The adjacent house remained intact.  The track of this tornado ends southeast of here or the tornado merged with the larger tornado to the south.

A garage, which was added onto the house, was almost completely destroyed.

B. Rating: EF2  The roof was taken off of this house.  All of the trees were severely damaged.  The damage path continued to widen.

Although the house looks intact, it is uninhabitable and has lost its roof.  All the trees in the shelter belt were either completely destroyed or significantly damaged.

C. Rating: EF3  A young boy and mother were injured when the house was destroyed as the tornado moved it off of its foundation.  Both mother and son were trapped in the basement where they took shelter.  The car in the garage was tossed 100 yards as was the farm equipment.  The damage path at this point had widened to one-quarter mile.

The home was moved from the foundation a few feet.  The mother and son were in the basement, which became exposed when the house was moved.  Debris from surrounding trees and buildings were deposited in the basement of the house.

A picture from behind the house.  The roof is gone and all of the windows have been blown out by the tornado.

All the trees in the shelter belt were destroyed.  The wood strewn on the lawn was from destroyed buildings.  

This new car was taken from the garage of the house shown above and thrown across the street.  The farm equipment lost their wheels as they were thrown into this field.

This picture is taken from the back of the car is looking back toward the home and garage across the road.

This is a picture of a tree in which all of the branches and leaves were stripped off.  Also note that the bark has been removed from a large portion of the tree.

Metal was wrapped around a tree that was split and snapped by the tornado.

D.  Rating: Unknown  The tornado crossed County Highway A22.

Damage southwest of Sibley, Iowa

E.  Rating: Unknown  The tornado crossed County Highway L32.  The damage path continued to be at least one-quarter mile wide.

F.  Rating: EF4  There was major damage to the entire farmstead.  The home was destroyed and the family received only minor injuries because they took shelter in the basement.  A 1000 pound propane tank was tossed 75 yards.  The tornado hit the farm around 10:20 pm CDT.

All of the walls have been taken from this home and only the foundation remains.  The basement stairs are laying in the debris.  Debris from the home is strewn over the field to the east.

Looking to the west from the house.  The shelter belt has been completely destroyed with only stumps from the trees remaining.

G.  Rating: EF4  A farmstead was completely destroyed as was a nearby shelterbelt of trees.  Two Blue Harvestore silos were pulled out of the ground and moved 50 feet by the tornado.  A car was tossed and the motor was removed from the car and thrown several yards.  Numerous projectiles were embedded a few feet into the ground.

Pictures of trees snapped by the tornado.  Several trees have also had bark stripped by the debris.  The car to the left was almost new and was destroyed by the tornado.

A picture of the back of the car.  Notice the back tire is now behind the car and the axle has been snapped.

A picture of the front of the car.  The engine has been taken from the car.

The engine from the car was thrown into a nearby field with other debris.

A Harvestore silo was toppled by the tornado.  The silo was anchored into concrete.

The bottoms of the two silos which were toppled by the tornado.  The concrete slab the silos sat on can be seen on the left side of the picture.

H. Rating: EF2  A home was damaged but remained structurally intact.  The shelter belt trees were severely damaged.

I. Rating: Unknown  A power substation was hit by the tornado and received some damage due to flying debris.

The debris seen above was thrown into the power substation and knocked out power to the surrounding area.

Damage south of Sibley, Iowa

 J. Rating: Unknown  The tornado continued on the ground south of Sibley.  Several power poles were leaning.  The ground was scoured and littered with debris.  The debris path was one-half mile wide.

K. Rating: Unknown   The tornado crossed Highway 60 southwest of the exit for Sibley.

L. Rating: Unknown  Eight people took shelter within three cars underneath an overpass by the exit for Sibley Iowa.  All three cars under the overpass were blown out by the tornado and tossed.  Eight people were injured in the cars.

A picture of one of the vehicles which was tossed by the tornado at the overpass near Sibley.  All the windows were blown out and the front tire was lost.

A picture of a second vehicle which was tossed by the tornado.  All of the windows were shattered and there were dents to the van.

A picture of the third car which was tossed by the tornado.  The roof was crushed and hood removed from the car.

M. Rating: EF2  A hog confinment building on a farmstead was severely damaged.  In addition, trees within a shelter belt were severe damaged.

N. Rating: EF1  A garage and other buildings were destroyed by the tornado.  The tornado was moving to the northeast and weakening at this point.

O. Rating: Unknown  Debris from the tornado crossed the road.  This is the last evidence of the tornado and it is assumed to have lifted just to the northeast of this location.