Severe storms cause thousands to lose power across Des Moines metro as 3 tornadoes touch down in Iowa

At least one tornado damaged buildings south of Des Moines as severe storms rolled through the region Tuesday morning.

The National Weather Service in Des Moines confirmed a tornado hit and damaged buildings northwest of Lacona in Warren County. Wind also damaged several structures, including machine sheds and grain elevators not far away, meteorologists said. 

Shingles were blown off buildings and trees were broken near Indianola. National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Ansorge said another tornado may have struck at a home near Badger Creek State Recreation Area southwest of Des Moines. That storm was confirmed as a tornado, according to the service's Twitter account. 

The NWS reported another tornado was confirmed near Tracy, Iowa in Marion County.

About 2.77 inches of rain fell at the Des Moines airport, Ansorge said. The storms woke up many people in the metro, but morning storms aren't uncommon, Ansorge said. 

"Often we think of overnight being a quieter period of severe storms," Ansorge said. "But often we do see these types of severe storms." 

Thousands of customers lost power across the Des Moines area as a result of high winds sustained during the storms. Shortly before 7 a.m. Tuesday, MidAmerican Energy reported 20,043 local customers area without power.

By 11:30 a.m. MidAmerican restored power to more than 15,000 customers. MidAmerican spokesman Geoff Greenwood said in a release that the company expected to have power restored to most customers by midnight and restored to all customers by Wednesday at 7 a.m.

Greenwood said power line and tree cleanup crews reported for work at 5 a.m. Tuesday as the storm began to hit West Des Moines. Crews from outside the metro were called in for support.

"It was just a very intense storm," Greenwood said. "Any time a tree takes down a power line it is a challenge, and we have to make sure it is safe before we restore service."

The Iowa Department of Transportation reported that Iowa Highway 14 in Marion County was closed for several hours because of power lines on the road.

Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Nathan Ludwig said five vehicles — including four large box trucks — were blown over on Interstate Highway 80 near Adair. Those were the only accidents Ludwig knew of directly caused by Tuesday's weather. 

Tree branches blown over by wind were reported just north of Urbandale. A tree fell over on 61st Street just east of Urbandale near Merle Hay Mall.

Ansorge, from the National Weather Service, said he received reports of flash flooding in the same spot around the Merle Hay Mall. Flooding in that area is common, Ansorge said. 

At 6:40 a.m. the Iowa Department of Transportation reported that the U.S. 65 southbound entrance ramp at exit 77 near Pleasant Hill was closed due to flooding. 

"There were a few cars stalled there," Ansorge said. "That's a pretty typical spot for poor drainage."

Police reported water spilling over a handful of roads across central Iowa, but no major flooding was expected, according to the National Weather Service.

Heavy rain, wind and lighting entered West Des Moines just before 5 a.m. Sustained winds of 60 mph caused power lines and trees to fall across the area.

Despite the heavy rain, the National Weather Service said damage appeared to be minimal.