Storms Damage Trees, Cause Power Outage In Waterloo [PHOTOS]

Thunderstorms that rolled across northeast Iowa Thursday dumped heavy rain, produced hail, and strong wind that damaged trees in the Cedar Valley.

Several large trees were either uprooted or had limbs ripped off in the southeastern part of Waterloo. Much of the damage was centered in a residential area behind Steelsmith Plaza along La Porte Road.

Dena Street was littered with debris from the multiple trees that had limbs torn off along the entire two-block stretch. A large tree was uprooted in front of a home at the intersection of Byron Ave. and Wisconsin Street. Another large tree was down in the backyard of a home on Hawthorne Ave., next to Locker Room Lounge.

On the east side of U.S. Highway 218, a tree that fell across Hawthorne Ave. blocked access to an auto salvage business and the Riverview Recreation Area.

Mid-American Energy reported more than 1,600 customers lost power in Waterloo. Media Relations Manager Geoff Greenwood said a severe thunderstorm knocked out power to about 1,250 customers around 3:45 PM, primarily on the south and southeast side of the city.

According to Greenwood, there was heavy tree damage on overhead lines. He said electricity was restored to nearly 750 customers around 5 PM and the remaining customers 25 minutes later.

In addition to the 1,250 customers, Greenwood reported that there were several smaller outages in Waterloo. One affected nearly 150 customers. He said other isolated outages affected anywhere from one to 30 customers.

Around 8:30 PM, utilities crews could be seen fixing lines along E. Ridgeway Ave., near Ohio and Wisconsin Streets.

Other tree damage was reported in Evansdale, where a wind gust was clocked as high as 55 mph. According to the National Weather Service, winds estimated at 60 to 65 mph also caused tree damage in Reinbeck.

In Fayette County, law enforcement reported that power lines were knocked down in the city of Wadena.