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A severe thunderstorm warning activated KCII’s Severe Weather Action Team for the first time in 2020 on Tuesday night. At 8:45 p.m. the National Weather Service in the Quad Cities issued the warning, including a portion of northern Washington County until 9:15 p.m.

As the storm moved across the area, the warning was extended to 9:45 p.m. Kalona City Administrator Ryan Schlabaugh told KCII News that Kalona experienced strong winds and heavy rain for a short period of time. Riverside Mayor Allen Schnieder and City Administrator Christine Yancy both reported seeing pea-sized hail in Riverside along with strong winds and heavy rain. The National Weather Service also had a report of hail one-inch in diameter along Highway 22 near Riverside.

Six members of the KCII Severe Weather Action Team brought live coverage of the storm as it swept across the area. And had the power gone out, KCII would stay live on the air with our emergency backup generators.