A person in Keokuk County died Sunday afternoon as a result from the severe storms. Larry Smith, Keokuk and Washington County Emergency Management Coordinator, says, there was one fatality and another person was critically injured in two seperate locations, both people were in outbuildings when strong winds caused debris from the buildings to injure them. The fatality was near Kinross and the critical injury was near Martinsburg.
Smith states wind gusts reached 70 to 80 miles per hour.
He is meeting with personnel from the National Weather Service to analyze damage after there was radar indicated rotation yesterday afternoon.
Severe weather warnings were issued; an initial severe thunderstorm warning for Washington County began around 3:30 p.m. and was followed by a tornado warning for Keokuk and Iowa Counties. The wind blew down power lines along Highway 92 near Keota and a semi traveling southbound on Highway 218 near Highland High School was blown over before the thunderstorm warning expired at 5 p.m.