(Sheldon)– Cleanup will be getting underway today (Monday) in several northwest Iowa counties after heavy thunderstorms ripped through the region early this (Monday) morning.
Most of the damage reports are coming out of O’Brien county where numerous 70 mile-per-hour wind gusts were reported when the storm went through shortly before 12:30 a.m. A camper was reportedly flipped over four miles west of Sheldon, where the tops of some 80-foot tall evergreens were also broken off, along with tree limbs eight to 10 inches in diameter.
Several trees and power lines were down in Sheldon.
The storms dumped over an inch of rain on the Iowa Great Lakes between 1:30 and 2:30 a.m. In Spirit Lake, a tree in the area of 14th Street and Hill Avenue was reportedly damaged by lightning.
The National Weather Service says more thunderstorms are likely later this (Monday) afternoon and evening, with the potential for heavy rain. The good news is that the storms will bring much cooler temperatures. After readings in the 90’s late last week and over the weekend, high temperatures will drop into the 70’s Tuesday and Wednesday.
