(Clarinda, Iowa) – Page County Emergency Management Coordinator Jill Harvey, Tuesday, issued a report on damage part of the county sustained during the April 17th tornadoes. An EF-1 tornado touched down at around 8:40-p.m. April 17th in Fremont County, southeast of Randolph, before moving east into northwestern Page County. The National Weather Service says the tornado caused significant damage before lifting just east of Nyman, at around 9:08-p.m.
Jill Harvey reports:
Jill Harvey says local city and county officials, along with the Essex Volunteer Fire and EMS Department, responded immediately after the event, and conducted door-to-door searched in the impacted area. EMA Coordinators from Cass, Clarke and Montgomery Counties arrived last Friday morning (April 18th) to assist with preliminary damage assessments. In addition, the American Red Cross was on-site Friday, and continues to provide assistance to affected residents.
As previously mentioned, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds issued a Disaster Proclamation, which activated the Individual Assistance Grant Program for Page and Fremont Counties, along with two counties in northwest Iowa. To learn more about the program and/or to apply, go to https://homelandsecurity.iowa.gov/assistance#.
Today: Mostly cloudy w/a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. A high near 73. S/SE winds 5-10 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Some storms may produce gusty winds, hail and locally heavy rain.
Tonight: Mo. Cldy w/a 70% chance of showers & thunderstorms. A low around 54. E/SE @ 5-10. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tomorrow: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 71. E/SE @ 10-20 mph. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Tom. Night: Showers & some thunderstorms. Low around 49. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Friday: Mo. Cldy w/a slight chance of showers. A high near 64.
Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44.
Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 64.
Tuesday’s High in Atlantic was 72 and the Low was 46. Last year on April 23rd, the High in Atlantic was 69 and the Low was 32. The Record High was 88 in 1950. The Record Low was 19 in 1893. Sunrise: 6:290; Sunset: 8:09.
Atlantic (KJAN), .01″
Atlantic (7.1 miles N/NE), .10″
Earling, .13″
Elk Horn, .11″
Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 74. Southwest wind around 5-10 mph becoming north northeast in the afternoon.
Tonight: Partly cloudy w/a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2am. Low around 50.
Tomorrow: Partly sunny w/a 70% chance of showers & thunderstorms. High 73. S/SE winds 5-10 mph.
Tom. Night: Showers likely & possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 53. E/SE winds 5-10 mph.
Thursday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 68.
Thu. Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. A low around 52.
Friday: A 30% chance of showers & thunderstorms. A high near 67.
Monday’s High in Atlantic was 68 and the Low was 43. We received .01″ (one-one hundredth) of an inch of rain, last night. Last year on April 22nd, the High in Atlantic was 73 and the Low was 41. The Record High was 90 in 1980. The Record Low was 20 in 1936. Sunrise: 6:30; Sunset: 8:08.
Atlantic (KJAN), .2”
Atlantic (7.1 miles N/NE), .17″
Elk Horn, .21”
Anita, Audubon, & Cumberland, .3” each
Clarinda & Corning, 35”
Creston & Guthrie Center, .5”
Cromwell (Union County), .29”
Emerson & Oakland, .2”
Greenfield, .4”
Griswold & Red Oak, .25”
Harlan,.31”
Massena, .16”
Missouri Valley, .26”
Shenandoah, .15”
Wiota,.32”
Today: Partly sunny to sunny. A high near 69. West winds 10-20 becoming south southwest in the afternoon.
Tonight: A 40% chance of showers & thunderstorms after midnight. Low around 49. S/SE @ 10-20 mph.
Tomorrow: A 30% chance of showers & thunderstorms, otherwise partly sunny. A high near 75. S @10-20 mph. o
Tom. Night: A slight chance of showers after midnight, otherwise mostly clear, with a low around 48.
Wednesday: Partly sunny w/a 50% chance of showers & thunderstorms after 1pm. A high near 74.
Wednesday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 53.
Thursday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 72.
Sunday’s High in Atlantic was 49 and the Low was 43. We received .2″ (two-tenths) of an inch of rain, Sunday. Last year on April 21st, the High in Atlantic was 62 and the Low was 26. The Record High was 88 in 1980. The Record Low was 16 in 1907. Sunrise: 6:31; Sunset: 8:07.
(Omaha, NE) – The National Weather Service has revised an earlier statement, with regard to what was initially described as a record-breaking wide tornado that occurred Thursday evening in parts of Fremont and Page Counties. Officials said two powerful, long-lived supercells tracked across eastern Nebraska and southwest Iowa during the afternoon and evening hours
of April 17. The storms produced widespread damaging hail up to 4 inches in diameter, wind gusts greater than 80 mph, and multiple tornadoes.
Their latest report said “Approximately 8:13 pm on Thursday, April 17, 2025, a tornado formed 3 miles southwest of Tabor. The tornado stirred up copious amounts of dust and dirt from recently plowed agricultural field. The tornado moved southeast across mainly agricultural fields until cross U.S. 275, producing EF-0 damage to roofs and farm outbuildings just south of 130th Street, reaching a width of about 1/4 mile. Based on video, the tornado weakened briefly east of U.S. 275 until it crossed 280th Avenue, where it again reached a width of about 1/4 mile and strengthened again before crossing
290th Avenue, producing EF-0 damage to trees and flipping irrigation pivots. The tornado continued until about the intersection of 300th Avenue and 140th Street where it dissipated.”
With regard to the Fremont-Page County tornado, the Weather Service said that “At approximately 8:32 PM CDT, a tornado formed southeast of Randolph, IA. The first sign of damage was snapped tree limbs near Lake Shawtee WMA (Wildlife Management Area). As the tornado progressed eastward, continued tree damage was observed along with the damage of small outdoor farm buildings and house roofs. A concentrated area of the most extensive damage was observed south of Imogene, IA. 
Destroyed outbuilding just north of Essex, west of D Ave.
NWS Damage Survey photo
In this area, damage included snapped wooden power poles, minor damage to homes, and the continued damage of outdoor buildings and trees. The width of damage also reached its peak, approximately 1,971 yards (a little more than 1.1.miles) in this area. The tornado tracked just north of Essex, IA, with more wooden power poles snapped and farm outdoor building damage. After sliding north of Essex, IA, the tornado tracked northeast towards Nyman, IA. Similar damage, including trees, outdoor buildings, and wooden power poles were observed along this stretch. The tornado lifted just east at Nyman, IA at approximately 9:08 PM CDT.
Their previous statement said the tornado near Essex Thursday night was rated as an EF-1, with estimated peak winds of as much as 110 mph, with a maximum width at its peak, of 3,130.6 yards (1.78 miles) (which would have broken a record set in 1950). It was on the ground for nearly 20-miles (19.72).
The track of the twister, its rating and time on the ground did not change in the latest assessment.
Today: Showers, w/widespread heavy rainfall. Breezy. A High near 49. E/NE winds 10-20 w/gusts to near 3o mph. New precipitation amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
Tonight: Showers & possible thunderstorms. Breezy. Low around 41. N/NW winds 15-30 mph becoming W/NW after midnight. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tomorrow: Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 66. W/NW winds @ 10-20 mph.
Tom. Night: A chance of showers & thunderstorms. Low around 48.
Tuesday: A 40% chance of showers & thunderstorms. High near 74. S-W winds 10-20 mph.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 47.
Wednesday: A 40% chance of showers, mainly after 1pm. High near 73.
Saturday’s High in Atlantic was 59 and the Low was 36. Last year on April 20th, the High in Atlantic was 52 and the Low was 26. The Record High was 90 in 1902. The Record Low was 18 in 1956. Sunrise: 6:33; Sunset: 8:05.
Today: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 58. North northeast wind 5 to 15mph.
Tonight: Increasing clouds, with a low around 39. East northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tomorrow: Cloudy & breezy w/rain, mainly after 8-a.m. High near 51. Winds E @ 10-20 mph w/gusts to around 25. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Tom. Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 40. NE winds 15-25 shifting to the NW after midnight. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Monday: Mostly sunny & breezy, with a high near 66. W/NW winds 10-20 mph.
Tuesday: A chance of showers & afternoon thunderstorms, otherwise mostly sunny, with a high near 74.
Friday’s High in Atlantic was 55 and the Low was 37. We received a Trace of rain in the form of drizzle/mist. Last year on April 19th, the High in Atlantic was 57 and the Low was 29. The Record High was 87 in 1908, 1946 & 1987. The Record Low was 15 in 1988. Sunrise: 6:34; Sunset: 8:04.
(Radio Iowa) – Damage is being assessed in southwest Iowa’s Page and Fremont counties after a tornado touched down Thursday night. Page County emergency management coordinator Jill Harvey says the storm veered north of the town of Essex. “Thankfully, it did not hit directly in Essex,” Harvey says. “They had some minor power outages here in town, but there are several structures damaged around the area.” Harvey says officials were concerned for a time that the tornado would strike Shenandoah, but fortunately, it steered away. She’s asking Essex residents to avoid leaving their homes, for now, and for gawkers to keep out.
“We do have quite a few trees covering roads,” Harvey says. “You may come across roads that are blocked. Due to the damage and debris across roads and downed power lines, we are requesting that people stay out of the area. If you happen to be around Essex, please use extreme caution. There are power lines down.” Despite the damage, Harvey says no injuries were reported in the county. National Weather Service survey teams are expected to fan out across the region to inspect the damage. Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig says he expects the farming community to take a heavy hit from the storms. “While some towns may have been sparred, like Essex,” Naig says, “everybody was really watching last night, and hoping for the best there. We know that there have been farms that have been damaged.”
Aside from the tornado damage, Naig says reports of large hail in parts of the state are also concerning. “Just incredible hail size and hail damage,” Naig says. “Not just in southwest Iowa, but we did see some reports even up in northeast (Iowa), where there were some systems that got built up, and you’re hearing about one inch and two inch hail sizes — and that can do a heck of a lot of damage, as we all well know.” Thursday’s storms struck in the wake of last year’s horrific tornado outbreaks, including the May 21st twister that hit Greenfield. Though rebuilding efforts continue in Greenfield, Naig says some producers are still coping with storm damage.”There’s been an incredible amount of work that’s been done,” Naig says. “A lot of homes rebuilt, some farm places that are on their way, but a lot of people that are not yet in their homes. It’s a year ago that it happened. It’s a good reminder that, hey, there’s been a ton of progress made, with the community rallying together — the communities, not just Greenfield. But, boy, we’re a long ways from being totally recovered.”
Naig says it’s “just the reality, unfortunately, of spring, particularly in Iowa.”
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