At least six people were killed, including two children after a powerful cluster of tornadoes touched down in Iowa Saturday evening in the towns of Winterset and Norwalk before barreling into the capital city of Des Moines, where the National Weather Service warned residents to take shelter.
WHO-13 reporter Dan Winters reported four adults and two children under age five were killed and that three more adults were badly injured in Winterset, a town of about 5,000 some 35 miles southwest of Des Moines. Searches were taking place in the rural areas around the town, according to the outlet. After the tornadoes hit Winterset, they moved north toward the capital, where sirens were heard and residents reported internet outages and flickering lights.
“Confirmed tornado on the ground in Norwalk,” the National Weather Service Des Moines office tweeted. “Again, this is an extremely dangerous situation!”
⚠️??#URGENT: Confirmed violent tornado near the city of Des Moines, Iowa#DesMoines l #IA
Trained spotters confirm a large tornado is moving northeast towards Des Moines. A classic hook echo has manifested on radar.
Anyone in the warning area must seek immediate shelter. pic.twitter.com/FqNsa1nf9P— Intel Point ALERT (@IntelPointAlert) March 5, 2022
Des Moines International Airport stopped all air traffic and evacuated everyone to tornado shelters beneath the airport. Traffic cameras in the city captured the storm coming through, according to Accuweather.
510 pm: Confirmed tornado on the ground in Norwalk. Again, this is an extremely dangerous situation! #iawx
— NWS Des Moines (@NWSDesMoines) March 5, 2022
The weather service called it an “extremely dangerous” situation and warned that associated storms could rain hail the size of pingpong balls.
Tornado SW Winterset @NWSDesMoines @WHOWeather I 1 pic.twitter.com/uQhtVYGsO0
— Roger Riley (@rogerriley) March 5, 2022
Earlier Saturday, a tornado watch was issued for Nebraska, Missouri, and Iowa. As the southern portion of the storm system moved from Nebraska into Iowa, Accuweather reported hail falling in Shenandoah, Iowa.
