NWS: 16 tornadoes hit eastern Iowa, western Illinois as derecho moved through (2024)

On Friday morning, several tornadoes and severe thunderstorms hit eastern Iowa, northwestern Illinois and northeastern Missouri.

In order for a storm to be classified as a derecho, the storm must have at least 58 mph winds and a damage swath of at least 240 miles.

In the Quad-Cities region, at least 16 tornadoes on Friday have been confirmed, according to the NWS's storm summary. There were no injuries reported from any of the tornadoes.

Coyne Center

That list includes the tornado that caused damage to trees and buildings in Coyne Center. The NWS said that the tornado developed just southwest of Coyne Center at 7:52 a.m. on Friday, and had top wind speeds of 110 mph.

The tornado then traveled northeast through Coal Valley for roughly 20 miles, at a speed of 50 mph, before it was last spotted in Green River around 8:16 a.m.. No injuries were reported from the tornado and the NWS categorized it as an EF-1. It had a maximum width of 50 yards.

Delta

The first tornado to hit the area on Friday morning formed just northwest of Delta, in Keokuk County, at 5:56 a.m. It reached top wind speeds of 110 mph and traveled 4.16 miles, the NWS said.

It caused significant damage to trees and outbuildings, but there were no reported injuries. The NWS categorized it as an EF-1.

Wellman to Frytown

Not long after the Delta tornado, another EF-1 tornado hit Iowa, developing at 6:26 a.m. southwest of Wellman, in Washington County. The tornado made its way into Amish and Frytown, traveling 18.06 miles with top wind speeds of 110 mph and a maximum width of 100 yards.

The tornado caused damage to homes, outbuildings and trees, the NWS said. No injuries were reported.

Lone Tree to West Liberty

An EF-1 tornado formed just south of Lone Tree on Friday morning at 6:55 a.m. It traveled over 15 miles through West Liberty and damaged outbuildings at a farm west of Nichols.

The tornado had top wind speeds of 90 mph and a maximum width of 70 yards.

Bennett to Lowden

Just to the east, at 7:30 a.m., another EF-1 tornado came down southwest of Bennett. It rapidly moved northeast and hit a farmstead west of Lowden, where it snapped power poles, trees and blew a grain bin off its foundation.

The tornado had max wind speeds of 110 mph, the NWS said. No injuries were reported.

Other tornadoes

According to the NWS, EF-1 tornadoes, described as moderate with wind speeds between 86 and 110 mph, were spotted in:

An EF-0 tornado was confirmed in Solon, Iowa, with max wind speeds of 85 mph.

Tornado spotted near LeClaire

There were also several EF-U (Unknown) tornadoes, which earn their rating when there is not enough damage to assess the tornado's severity.

As the Coyne Center tornado made its way through northwest Illinois, an EF-U tornado was spotted on the Mississippi River near LeClaire around 8:10 a.m. on Friday, between Lock and Dam 14 and the I-80 bridge. It traveled 0.8 miles and caused no damage. The NWS verified the tornado using video from the public.

EF-U tornadoes were also spotted in:

The NWS said that there were several rainfall totals reported over 1.5 inches on Friday, with 1.2 inches reported at Davenport Airport and 0.79 inches reported at Quad Cities International Airport.

Thunderstorm activity in the afternoon and evening on Friday was more scattered, with a few storms producing large hail.

More details may be shared in the coming days, the NWS said, as they gather more information.