August 2020 Midwest Derecho (Blog Update #6)

The Midwest Derecho swept across the states of Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana. Damage was moderate to severe across much of the affected area, as sustained wind speeds of 70 miles per hour were present with the storm. Some of the greatest damage was present in the city of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. They has winds measured at 126 mph and the highest estimated from post-event damage surveys at 140 mph.

Cedar Rapids suffered almost a complete blackout that lasted for weeks in some areas. The city lost at least half of its tree canopy. The derecho caused an estimated $11 billion in damages.

A corn field at sunset flattened by the high winds. Courtesy: NWS Des Moines

One of the criticisms about the this storm was the lack of news coverage about the storm. Local news media were hard-pressed to provide reporting under disaster conditions, limiting national news coverage of the storm.

An interesting video of the storm shot on the inside of someone's house in Cedar Rapids is linked here It shows the moment the storm hit and has many trees go down.