Any potential storms that move through north central Iowa today will do so at an extremely fast pace, according to Roger Vachalek, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Des Moines.
“The storms may be moving at 50 to 60 mph or even faster, which means if a warning is issued, folks need to shelter immediately because you will not have time to react or gather what you need — you just need to go to shelter immediately,” Vachalek said.
According to Vachalek, most storms move between 25 and 35 mph.
“This is over double that,” Vachalek said. “If they are moving as fast as we think they are going to, you just won’t have much time to react. Don’t take your time to get to the shelter. It’s not the time to be curious what’s approaching, just go to shelter.”
Webster County and the region will be in a high wind warning from noon to midnight. Potential impacts include damaging winds that will blow down trees and power lines. Widespread power outages are expected and travel will be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles.
The last time Webster County was in a high wind warning was in 2016. Additionally, Vachalek described Wednesday’s forecast as rare.
“We don’t normally get large widespread wind events like this,” he said. “They aren’t very common throughout the year. The strength of this event is pretty rare, too. Essentially, you’re looking at a pretty long time when we last had something like this.”
The daytime forecast calls for winds between 30 and 40 mph with gusts up to 45 mph.
In the late afternoon and evening, Vachalek predicts winds will ramp up.
“There could be winds in excess of 55 to 65 at times as the system rolls through,” he said.
Vachalek said those could be the highest wind gusts of the day. If thunderstorms appear, those gusts could be even higher.
“We are also expecting some thunderstorms and if we get a few of those, the wind gusts could approach or exceed 70 due to the nature of a thunderstorm,” Vachalek said.
He said there’s a small risk for an isolated tornado across north central Iowa during the afternoon or evening.
“Anything that does develop will move very, very quickly,” Vachalek said. “If a warning is issued, people need to take those warnings very seriously and will need to go to a sturdy building. It could turn out to be an active day. Stay weather aware and be ready to react if warnings are issued, especially thunderstorms and tornadoes. Be very ready to react if something is issued.”
In terms of preparations, Vachalek said now is the time to make sure anything outside that’s not secure, gets tied down.
“Any valuables outside that you don’t want damaged by wind or falling debris, whether a car or anything else, should be in shelter,” he said. “We are also looking at the possibility of travel being very difficult tomorrow afternoon and evening as higher winds come through. Higher profile vehicles, school buses, semis should be extremely cautious.”
Rick George, vice president of safety at Decker Truck Line Inc., said oftentimes the company allows drivers to make decisions on when to be on the road.
“There are times that we (company) control that decision,” George said. “Other times we let the drivers make the decisions. They are professional drivers. We provide them guidance.”
George said drivers will look at things like how heavy their load is.
“How heavily your trailer is loaded,” he said. “And then you use that to determine if you should go or be parked. We want to help the driver make the best decision possible so nothing bad happens.”
He said the current forecast is “of concern.”
“We have box trailers and flat beds,” he said. “Box trailers is more of an issue.”
On Tuesday, George sent an email out to drivers reminding them of the potential hazards.
“There’s lots of variables — size of the trailer, direction of travel,” George said. “A head-on wind or a tailwind or if it’s at a 90-degree angle. That’s the worst it can get.”
George said if there is a doubt, “slow down or stop.”
He said drivers have to be cautious in all conditions.
“It’s not much different than operating in the snow or the ice,” George said. “But you can’t see the wind, you have to look for signs of the wind. You just have to be mindful. Stop when it’s appropriate.”
Trooper Paul Gardner, of the Iowa State Patrol, said Post 7 will be on alert today.
He advises those who can wait out the storm to do so.
“If somebody operating a commercial motor vehicle can hold off until the storm passes,” Gardner said, “we hope they do. We could be dealing with overturned semis during this. When a semi is turned over on the side of the road, that can cause hazards for others while the highway is shut down, cleaning up the mess.”
The National Weather Service has advised travelers to use extreme caution if traveling along east-west roads.
