(Radio Iowa) – Heavy wind and rains moved through central Iowa overnight and this morning (Friday). National Weather Service Metrologist Alexis Jimenez says there were some big totals in the rain gauges.  “Kind of in between Interstate 80 and Highway 30, we saw several amounts around one to three inches,” she says. Jimenez says the storm had winds driving the rain and knocking down tree limbs. And as it approached Des Moines and even a little bit east of Des Moines, we had some winds exceeding 70 miles per hour,” she says. Thousands were left without power early this morning as many tree limbs were knocked down. Tornadoes were spotted yesterday (Thursday)evening in Franklin Count near Alexander, near Malcom in Poweshiek County, and northeast of Canton in Jackson County. There were no reports of any damage or injury from the tornadoes.

Jimenez says the storms are expected to start up again in the early afternoon, bringing more rain. “That will continue at least through the first half of the afternoon for the Des Moines area and then for portions of eastern and southeast Iowa, we’re talking probably for the rest of at least this afternoon and into the early evening” she says. “Rainfall now so looking anywhere between one to three inches in addition, and you could have some locally higher amounts as well with any heavier thunderstorm.” Jimenez says the it is a persistent storm. “A two-pronged system that we had starting yesterday and then moving into today. So this is part of the same system that affected us last night and I guess being helped by whatever is leftover from yesterday,” she says.

Jimenez says to be award of the potential for flash flooding with more rain today (Friday).