COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Broken windows, damaged buildings and landscaping may be part of the college scene next week as classes begin at Iowa Western Community College on the east side of Council Bluffs. Powerful thunderstorms ripped through the area Thursday night, leaving thousands of people without power. Softball-size hail pounded the college campus and vehicles parked there. In another part of Council Bluffs, officials reported that an ambulance was stranded by high water and mud for more than 90 minutes. It wasn’t carrying a patient.

MidAmerican Energy says power still hasn’t been restored to more than 5,000 customers in Pottawattamie County, across the Missouri River from Omaha.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Powerful thunderstorms that ripped through eastern Nebraska and western Iowa damaged homes, vehicles and businesses and has left thousands of people without power. Omaha Public Power District reported that more than 8,100 customers didn’t have power as of 4:30 a.m. Friday, down from a peak of more than 40,000 customers at 11 p.m. Thursday. MidAmerican Energy says power still hasn’t been restored to more than 5,000 customers in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, across the Missouri River from Omaha.No storm-related deaths have been reported.

Hail from the rain-laden storms shattered windows, roofs and siding at homes around the region. Omaha’s Eppley Airfield was closed for a time and more than a dozen flights were canceled. Damage to seven aircraft was reported. Winds gusted at more than 60 mph.

Storms across the Midwest last night, brought heavy rain and large hail to portions of South Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa. The National Weather Service says a storm near Omaha produced softball-size hail and winds of more than 65 miles per hour.

Winds gusting up to 65-miles per hour were reported one-mile west of Harlan at around 4-p.m. Emergency management officials said a farm was damaged five-miles northwest of Harlan at around that same time, where grain bins and outbuildings were destroyed, and a 1,000-gallon propane tank was moved 10-feet.

Winds of more than 70 miles per hour were reported north of Villisca just after 6-pm, Thursday, along with quarter-sized hail. In Griswold, winds gusted up to 55 miles per hour and heavy rain was reported at 5:15-p.m. A KJAN listener who lives near Interstate 80 and the Olive Street exit in Cass County, said hail estimated to be about the size of ping-pong balls fell for about 5-minutes, just after 7-p.m., Thursday. KJAN News Director Ric Hanson observed pea to nickel-sized hail falling just before 7:30-p.m., in the same area.

Baseball-sized hail was reported to have fallen four-miles south of Stanton, other reports of golfball-sized hail came from Council Bluffs, and areas near Tennant, Nodaway, Farragut, Gravity, and Randolph. Charles Ambrose, Emergency Management Director in the Taylor County town of Gravity, told the media at least one downtown building had its windows broke, and hail completely covered the ground.

Quarter-sized hail was reported at many other locations, including Hancock, Underwood, Glenwood, and Clarinda. Severe thunderstorm warnings were issued in all three states

late Thursday afternoon, with a tornado warning in north central Nebraska.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Storms are erupting across the Midwest, bringing heavy rain, large hail and the threat of tornadoes to portions of South Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa.

Severe thunderstorm warnings were issued in all three states late Thursday afternoon, with a tornado warning in north central Nebraska.

The National Weather Service says a storm near Omaha, Neb, produced softball-size hail and winds of more than 65 mph. In Dixon County in northeast Nebraska, strong winds and hail broke out some windows in buildings in Waterbury.

Winds of more than 55 mph and heavy rain were reported in western Iowa in Griswold.

Forecasters say widespread thunderstorms are expected into Thursday night in southeast South Dakota, eastern Nebraska and western Iowa as a cold front moves across the region.

ADAIR-ADAMS-CASS-RINGGOLD-TAYLOR-UNION-

914 AM CDT TUE AUG 16 2011

…THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CONTINUE OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN AND SOUTHWEST IOWA… 

THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE ANOTHER INCH OF RAINFALL THROUGH 10 AM BETWEEN ATLANTIC…CRESTON…MOUNT AYR…BEDFORD AND CORNING. SOME OF THIS AREA HAS ALREADY RECEIVED 2 TO 4 INCHES OF RAIN ACCORDING TO RAIN GAGE MEASUREMENTS AND DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATES. STREET FLOODING AND PONDING OF WATER WILL OCCUR IN URBAN AREAS…ALONG WITH REDUCED VISIBILITY. DITCHES AND SMALL STREAMS COULD QUICKLY RISE TO BANK FULL IN RURAL AREAS. THE AREA OF HEAVIEST RAIN SHOULD BEGIN TO DRIFT SOUTH INTO MISSOURI AFTER 10 AM. 

OCCASIONAL CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING…BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS…ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. 

IF YOU ENCOUNTER PONDED WATER ON HIGHWAYS…DO NOT DRIVE THROUGH IT.

Thanks to all who reported their rainfall to us here at KJAN, via the phone and thru Facebook! We appreciate the information 🙂

As of 7-a.m. (the 24-hour reporting cycle)…..

In Atlantic, at the KJAN studios (official NWS reporting site) = 3.00-inches

In Lewis, nearly 2.oo-inches (listener report)

Near Hamlin, 1.5-inches (listener Facebook report)

N. of Marne, 3.9-inches (listener report)

In Massena (official spotter) = 3.6-inches

Near I-80/Hwy 71 = 4.1-inches (reported by a resident)

Harlan = 1.8-inches

Audubon = 1.7-inches (Mayor Sam Kauffman reporting)

Heavy rain and intense lightening ripped through the area early this morning. The storms dumped 3.32-inches of rain in Atlantic (here at the KJAN studios) between 1-and 2-a.m., and caused street flooding and scattered power outages. Higher rainfall amounts were reported further to the northwest, near the Marne area.

Excessive run-off from the rainfall was expected to cause flash flooding to occur. The National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Warning for northwestern Cass County until 8:30-a.m.   A Flash Flood warning that had been in effect for eastern Pottawattamie and Shelby Counties until 5-a.m., was cancelled just before 4 o’clock, as excess runoff from the heavy rain had ended, and streams and creeks in the warned area were expected to have begun receding, therefore ending the flood threat. If flooding is or has been observed, you’re asked to report the incident to law enforcement.

A lightening strike may also have sparked a barn fire a few miles south of Marne, at around 3:40-a.m. Cass County Communications dispatched Marne and Atlantic Fire to the Sonya Schuler residence at 55242 560^th Street. The barn, which contained a snowmobile and camper, was reported to have been fully engulfed in flames minutes after the first firefighters’ page went out.

Here at the KJAN Studios in Atlantic, the official reporting station for the National Weather Service, we’ve received 3.32-inches of rain since 1-a.m. The heaviest rain and intense lightning occurred between 2-2:45-am.

A Flood warning remains in effect for NW Cass County until 8:30-a.m., and for eastern Pottawattamie and Shelby Counties until 5-a.m.

Tree down on westbound 7th Street, just east of Maple

A severe thunderstorm producing winds of up to 51-miles per hour pushed through Atlantic between 2:10 and 2:40-a.m. today (Monday). The storm dumped .6″ of rain here at the KJAN studios. Atlantic Police reported a large tree limb down near 7th and Maple Streets at 2:10-a.m. 

Another, approximately 4-inch diameter tree, limb was observed having fallen down between 4th and 5th Streets, just east of Olive Street. Scattered, smaller limbs and twigs littered City Streets early this morning. Law enforcement reported to the Weather Service at 2:30-a.m., several large tree branches were down, a heavy patio table with umbrella was toppled and blown several feet from its emplacement, and other pieces of yard furniture, garbage cans and yard décor were strewn about. There were also scattered, brief power outages within the city.

The National Weather Service says  a peak wind gust of 51-miles per hour was recorded on the Automated Weather Observation Systems (AWOS) at the airport, at 2:15-a.m. Also,  law enforcement reported  2-to 4-inch diameter tree limbs were down in the Guthrie County Community of Yale, after the storms blew through there at around 2:45-a.m.

At least three Iowa cities hit high temps of 99 degrees on Thursday — in Atlantic (at the airport. Here at the KJAN studios, the official weather reporting station, we topped at 93-degrees), in Perry, and in Knoxville. Forecasters say today (Friday) promises to be even hotter….in fact, they say this could be the hottest day of the year, so far. Jacob Beitlich, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service, says most of Iowa will be in the mid to upper-90s today with a few 100s possible.

“With the humidity and the warm temperatures, we could see heat index readings of 105 to 110 degrees with a few isolated higher readings in eastern Iowa,” Beitlich says. “That’s just going to lead to uncomfortable conditions, potentially dangerous if you don’t take the necessary precautions of taking breaks, finding some A/C if you have to work outside and drinking plenty of fluids.”

Eddyville had an unofficial heat index on Thursday of 137 degrees. A Heat Advisory is posted for all of eastern and central Iowa through 7 P-M. Beitlich says a slight cool-off is coming. A cold front is expected later today and overnight, taking away some of the heat and humidity, bringing much of the state closer to the average July temps in the mid to upper 80s.

(Pat Powers/Ric Hanson – Radio IA)