Confirmed: EF-1 Tornado Caused Destruction In McGregor [PHOTOS]
Authorities have confirmed that a tornado struck the northeast Iowa community of McGregor, causing major damage to the historic downtown business district Wednesday night (July 19, 2017).
During a Thursday morning news conference, McGregor Mayor Harold Brooks and Clayton County Sheriff Mike Tschirgi announced that a National Weather Service (NWS) damage assessment crew surveyed the destruction after sunrise and determined that an EF-1 tornado hit the Mississippi River town early Wednesday evening. The tornado had wind speeds up to 110 mph.
The path of the twister seemed to have followed Main Street, damaging or destroying numerous businesses and homes. Here are some photos of the destruction, courtesy of the North Iowa Times.
The now-confirmed tornado struck McGregor at about 6:15 p.m. Despite the amount of damage, no one was injured.
Power was being restored to over 1,000 customers. According to Brooks, it could take anywhere from one to seven days before electric service is back up.
The mayor and sheriff are asking everyone to stay away from McGregor, except residents. Professional loggers are currently clearing the roads of downed trees.