Tornado damages area farm Saturday

A warm front forged into southern Iowa Saturday afternoon and along that front, a line of severe storms quickly popped up and spawned a tornado that damaged a few locations in southern Adair County.

The tornado is thought to have first developed in far northern Adams County as storm damage was reported by authorities there.

The tornado was first spotted by Greenfield firefighter Lance McFarland, who lives in Fontanelle. The tornado caused major damage at the Ryan Laughery farm near Avondale Church. In a message to the newspaper, the Laugherys are thankful for those who came to show them support and help them clean up.

Once McFarland saw two storms converging on his radar at home he began driving down Fontanelle Rd. He stopped at the corner of 270th St. and Fontanelle Rd. where he saw two wall clouds and the tornado to his southwest. He then called the Adair County Sheriff’s Office and warning sirens were sounded in Greenfield and Fontanelle. A tornado warning was issued about 2:30 p.m.

At first sight, McFarland reports the tornado was just west of what is known as the six-mile corner, or the corner of 310th St. and Fontanelle Rd.

When he pulled off the road, McFarland reports there was still a wall cloud and rotation but no tornado. The tornado touched down again a short time later and grew slightly in size, but it again quickly lifted. It crossed Fontanelle Rd. just south of 270th St. and once it crossed the highway it lifted for what he believes was the last time.

McFarland explained that with changing of winds with height, called shear, and a low pressure system circling the area, the storms picked up steam at about the Adams-Adair county line.

“They were latched onto that warm front for awhile but as they got toward Greenfield they didn’t have that atmosphere conducive to tornadoes at that time,” McFarland said. “That was good because at the time it was heading toward Greenfield or just west of Greenfield.”

Adair and Guthrie County Emergency Management Coordinator Robert Kempf said that straight-line winds were likely to blame for power poles to be damaged.

A farmstead, owned by Ryan Laughery, was heavily damaged near the Avondale Church by what is believed to be the tornado.

The Laugherys, in a message to the newspaper Saturday night, expressed their gratitude toward all who had helped them clean up.

“There was major damage. One machine shed was basically destroyed, another outbuilding had moderate damage, and then there was minor damage to the home,” Kempf said. “No injuries, and there were lots of neighbors there helping pick up.”

Kempf describes Saturday’s tornado as a very weak one with early estimated winds of 70 to 80 mph. He said it barely showed up on radar.

“This is a prime example for people that they need to pay attention to the straight-line wind warnings that they put in severe thunderstorm warnings,” Kempf said. “Those are important things to pay attention to because they can be just as devastating as a tornado.”