| |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | May 21, 2024, 2:57 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00) |
| Dissipated | May 21, 2024, 3:45 pm. CDT (UTC−05:00) |
| Duration | 48 minutes |
| EF4 tornado | |
| on the Enhanced Fujita scale | |
| Highest winds |
|
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 5 |
| Injuries | 35 |
| Damage | $31,800,000[1][2] |
| Areas affected | Page, Taylor, Adams, and Adair, Iowa counties. |
Part of the Tornado outbreak sequence of May 19–27, 2024 and Tornadoes of 2024 | |
On the afternoon of May 21, 2024, a violent and destructive multi-vortex tornado struck the communities of Villisca, Nodaway, Brooks, Corning, and Greenfield in southwestern Iowa, killing five people and injuring 35 others. The tornado was the strongest of a large widespread tornado outbreak that occurred from May 19-27, 2024 in the central United States. The tornado reached peak intensity in the city of Greenfield, leading the National Weather Service in Des Moines, Iowa to assign a rating of mid-range EF4 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, with maximum wind speeds estimated at 185 mph (298 km/h). However, winds of 309–318 mph (497–512 km/h) were measured in a sub-vortex of the tornado by a DOW (Doppler on Wheels), placing it among the strongest tornadoes ever measured.[3]
This tornado was the fourth violent tornado of the 2024 season and the second one to occur during the prolifically active month of May.
- ^ "Storm Events Database". National Centers for Environmental Information.
- ^ "Storm Events Database". National Centers for Environmental Information.
- ^ National Weather Service in Des Moines, Iowa (May 23, 2024). NWS Damage Survey for 05/21/2024 Tornado Event Update #2 (Report). Iowa Environmental Mesonet. Retrieved May 23, 2024.