Photo Courtesy of Elizabeth Koshatka, Washington

The KCII Severe Weather Action team was live on the air Sunday for multiple Severe Thunderstorm Warnings issued in Washington County and southeast Iowa. Just before 5p.m., the National Weather Service in the Quad Cities issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for western Washington, all of Keokuk, and southern Iowa counties. Storms persisted for the next two hours, prompting a total of five warnings through the area that included Washington, Iowa, Johnson, Keokuk, Louisa, Jefferson and Henry Counties.

Nickel to quarter-sized hail was observed at the KCII Studios in Washington with up to one inch in diameter hail reported by spotters in other portions of the city. Hail one inch in diameter was also reported in Keota, Grandview, and Hills with hail up to 1.25″ in Sigourney and Ollie and 1.75″ hail recorded in Fairfield and West Liberty. Trained weather spotters in Brighton reported 60 mph wind gusts. Sunday evening, Alliant Energy charted nearly 1,200 customers in the listening area without power. Officials in Lone Tree tell KCII News that they received tree damage and that most of the town was without power Sunday evening. Five members of the KCII Severe Weather Action Team provided live coverage on the air. Had the power gone out, coverage would have continued with KCII’s backup generators. The one to count on for up-to-the-minute severe weather coverage is AM and FM KCII.