DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Strong storms damaged farm buildings across central Iowa, knocked down trees and toppled dozens of empty railcars. The storms caused damage in Decatur, Clarke, Dallas, Boone and Madison counties as it moved across the state early Sunday morning. The National Weather Service plans to send out teams to survey the damage on Sunday. No major injuries were reported.

Some of the most significant damage was reported west of Osceola where the empty coal cars were knocked over by wind. Several farm outbuildings and grain bins were destroyed, farm roofs were damaged and some trees were uprooted. The storms also dropped roughly 2 inches of rain in Ringgold and Humboldt counties.

Saturday’s High in Atlantic was 78. Our Low this morning, 59. Rainfall in Atlantic at the KJAN studios Saturday afternoon through early this morning, amounted to 1.2 inches. Massena reported 1.43 inches of rain for the 24-hour period ending at 7-a.m. today. Harlan had .26″, Audubon, .75″, Shenandoah, .28″ and Council Bluffs received .10″ of rain.

AREA COUNTIES: CARROLL-GREENE-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-CASS-ADAIR-ADAMS-UNION-TAYLOR-RINGGOLD

756 PM CDT SAT MAY 16 2015

…LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH GUSTY WINDS AND HAIL POSSIBLE…

A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS MOVING NORTHEAST THROUGH THE REGION THIS EVENING. THE STORMS WILL BRING BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL UP TO ONE HALF TO THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH. ALONG WITH THE RAINFALL…THERE IS A POTENTIAL OF WIND GUSTS NEAR 50 MPH WITH A FEW OF THE STORMS THIS EVENING ALONG WITH SOME HAIL UP TO DIME SIZE. THE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ACROSS THE AREA FOR UNTIL ABOUT 10 PM CDT BEFORE SLOWLY MOVING EAST OF THE REGION.

552 PM CDT SAT MAY 16 2015

TONIGHT…CLOUDY. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE EVENING…THEN THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY BEFORE MIDNIGHT AND EARLY MORNING. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS LATE IN THE NIGHT. LOW IN THE LOWER 60S. SOUTHEAST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 25 MPH. CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS 70 PERCENT.

SUNDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH MID MORNING…THEN A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS BEFORE NOON. BREEZY. HIGH IN THE UPPER 70S. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 20 MPH SHIFTING TO THE SOUTHWEST 20 TO 25 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON. GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH. CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS 30 PERCENT.

SUNDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. COOLER. LOW IN THE LOWER 50S. WEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH. GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH THROUGH MIDNIGHT.

MONDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. BREEZY…COOLER. HIGH IN THE LOWER 60S. NORTHWEST WIND 15 TO 20 MPH.

526 PM CDT SAT MAY 16 2015

SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTH CENTRAL POTTAWATTAMIE, EASTERN HARRISON AND SHELBY COUNTIES UNTIL 615 PM CDT

AT 526 PM CDT…DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER MINDEN…OR 26 MILES NORTHEAST OF OMAHA…MOVING NORTH AT 25 MPH. HALF INCH HAIL AND WINDS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE…

HARLAN…SHELBY…MINDEN…EARLING…IRWIN…PERSIA…DEFIANCE…

NEOLA…PANAMA…PORTSMOUTH…WESTPHALIA…TENNANT…KIRKMAN…

ARROWHEAD PARK AND MANTENO RECREATION AREA.

THIS INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING HIGHWAYS…

HIGHWAY 59 IN IOWA BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 73 AND 89.

INTERSTATE 80 IN IOWA BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 23 AND 37.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE 15 MILES AWAY FROM A THUNDERSTORM. SEEK A SAFE SHELTER INSIDE A BUILDING OR VEHICLE.

AREA COUNTIES: SAC-CRAWFORD-CARROLL-GREENE-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-DALLAS-POLK-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-ADAMS-UNION-TAYLOR-RINGGOLD.

405 PM CDT SAT MAY 16 2015

THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT: SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON…WITH STORMS MOVING EAST ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT. SOME STORMS MAY BE SEVERE IN THE WEST WITH HIGH WINDS AND HAIL THE MAIN THREAT. AN ISOLATED TORNADO IS POSSIBLE.

SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY: THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY MORNING AND AGAIN THE AFTERNOON. SOME STORMS MAY BE SEVERE WITH HIGH WINDS AND HAIL THE MAIN THREAT…AN ISOLATED TORNADO WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. THE BEST CHANCES FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE IN THE AFTERNOON AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 35.

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT…AND AGAIN FRIDAY. THE LIKELIHOOD OF SEVERE WEATHER IS LOW.

SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT… SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATE TODAY INTO TONIGHT…MAINLY WEST OF U.S. HIGHWAY 169.

MONONA-HARRISON-SHELBY-POTTAWATTAMIE-MILLS-MONTGOMERY-FREMONT-PAGE COUNTIES IN IOWA…420 PM CDT SAT MAY 16 2015

TONIGHT AND SUNDAY: THERE WILL BE SEVERAL CHANCES FOR SEVERE STORMS THROUGH THE EVENING ACROSS EASTERN NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA. STORMS DEVELOPING ALONG THE MISSOURI RIVER AT LATE AFTERNOON COULD PRODUCE HAIL OR DAMAGING WINDS IN WEST CENTRAL IOWA. MORE STORMS IN NORTHEAST KANSAS WILL TRACK INTO SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA AS WELL…AND COULD ALSO PRODUCE LARGE HAIL OR DAMAGING WINDS. THERE IS ALSO A SMALL CHANCE FOR AN ISOLATED TORNADO AS LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR IS MAXIMIZED IN SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA.

MORE THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS AND FARTHER SOUTH ARE EXPECTED TO RACE NORTHEAST DURING THE EVENING. THESE STORMS COULD MOVE INTO SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA AT MID TO LATE EVENING BRINGING A DAMAGING WIND THREAT TO THOSE AREAS. AN INCREASING LOW LEVEL JET WILL ALSO PROVIDE NECESSARY SHEAR TO KEEP A SMALL TORNADO RISK IN THE FORECAST.

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Iowans should be prepared for the possibility of severe weather this weekend. National Weather Service meteorologist Rod Donovan says scattered storms will be moving into southwest Iowa this afternoon and spreading statewide overnight.

“We could have a few storms that could produce hail up to the size of quarters. That will be the main threat with these, in addition to brief periods of heavy rainfall,” Donovan says. A better threat of severe storms, with large hail and strong winds, may arrive Saturday night.

“Overnight Saturday night, we could have some storms moving out of Nebraska and Kansas into the area and bring the threat of severe weather, especially over the western portion of the state,” Donovan says. An EF1 tornado struck the west-central Iowa town of Lake City last weekend. Donovan says there’s a chance for more tornadoes later this weekend.

“The day to be watching is Sunday and it will really depend on the timing of the system and what time (storms) move through the state,” Donovan says. “There are some indications now that it may not move through until early afternoon or mid-afternoon and certainly that would enhance the risk for stronger storms and the potential for a few tornadoes.”

High temperatures today through Sunday are expected in the 70s. Dry, but much cooler conditions are in the forecast for Monday and Tuesday.

(Radio Iowa)

CARROLL-GREENE-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-DALLAS-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-ADAMS-UNION-TAYLOR-RINGGOLD

…DENSE FOG ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CDT THIS MORNING…

* VISIBILITY…ONE QUARTER OF A MILE OR LESS.

* IMPACTS…DENSE FOG CAN MAKE DRIVING VERY DIFFICULT…
ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT. PLEASE SLOW DOWN AND ALLOW EXTRA DISTANCE
BETWEEN YOU AND THE VEHICLE AHEAD OF YOU.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A DENSE FOG ADVISORY MEANS VISIBILITIES WILL FREQUENTLY BE
REDUCED TO LESS THAN ONE QUARTER MILE. IF DRIVING…SLOW DOWN…
USE YOUR HEADLIGHTS…AND LEAVE PLENTY OF DISTANCE AHEAD OF YOU.