Maximum Derecho Winds Estimated at 140 MPH in Cedar Rapids

For those of us that went through the derecho of last week, we know the winds blew harder than anything we'd ever seen before. I've lived in Iowa for all of my 45 years. I've been through numerous severe thunderstorms and even a tornado during my life. Never have I seen the destructive winds of last Monday's storm. We'd heard comparisons to hurricanes. But it turns out that those straight line winds were blowing even harder than we realized.

KCRG reports that new information and data collected by the National Weather Service shows that the winds of Monday's derecho were stronger than initially reported. The NWS out of the Quad Cities issued new storm reports on Wednesday following more surveys and information given to them by emergency managers. KCRG reports that based on damage to the Westside Apartments on the southwest side of Cedar Rapids, which removed the roof of the building, outside walls, and some inside walls from the top floor, the NWS estimates that winds reached an estimated 140 mph at that site. 140 mph! 

KCRG reports that an emergency manager in Benton County relayed a new wind measurement from the Atkins area using a personal weather station. That wind speed was 126 mph. And in the Van Horne area an antenna mounted some 340 feet above the ground was snapped in half. It was rated to withstands wind speeds of up to 125 mph.

KCRG noted that the previous maximum measured wind speed in Linn County was 112 mph. The city of Marion had an estimated maximum wind speed of 130 mph.