Iowa
‘I’ve never had damage like this’: Iowa woman says recent storms worst of three she’s seen in 51 years
PLEASANT HILL, Iowa (Gray Television Iowa Capitol Bureau) – The tornadoes that hit the state put an Iowa woman in a position that she’s unfortunately found herself numerous times. She’s cleaning up from another natural disaster.
Rose Ostrand has lived in the same house in Pleasant Hill for 51 years. In that time, she’s been through the Flood of 1993 and a few tornados, but somehow the house is still here. “This is the third one out here but I’ve never had damage like this. I mean, I’ve had a couple blown windows, maybe a broken door, but nothing that we couldn’t fix ourselves. Nothing to even turn in to the insurance,” Ostrand said.
Others in the neighborhood weren’t so lucky when the EF-2 tornado touched down just before nine Friday night. The winds, which peaked around 125 miles per hour, toppled trees, blew over headstones in the cemetery, a neighbor’s trampoline ended up in a tree.
Despite living through major storms before, Ostrand still headed for cover. “I got down to my little cubby hole and I heard a loud ‘boom’, and then just glass breaking, so I knew I’d been hit, and when I got a chance to go back upstairs, I looked out the patio window and I saw my car with no garage,” Ostrand said.
Ostrand’s big tree came down and knocked out her gas meter, so she’s been without hot water since the storm. Still, she considers herself lucky that she has neighbors, like Tyler Luft, who look out for her. “They’ve done more about cleaning out my yard than I have. I’ll go out and I’ll pick up a few things and he and his wife are dragging stuff out,” Ostrand said.
Ostrand says she’s “their senior” and they’re always checking on her. Luft says the favors go both ways. “Yeah but don’t let her fool you, snow in winter, sometimes she she’d do my snow before I would get to it,”” Luft said.
Right now though, they’re focused up on cleaning from the spring storm. Ostrand has seen many come through the neighborhood before, and she says they’ll be just fine.
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Conner Hendricks covers state government and politics for Gray Television-owned stations in Iowa. Email him at conner.hendricks@gray.tv; and follow him on Facebook at Conner Hendricks TV or on X/Twitter @ConnerReports.
Copyright 2024 KCRG. All rights reserved.
Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa State Patrol said it responded to 206 calls for service after another weekend winter storm Saturday.
From 5:30 am to 5:30 pm, ISP said it covered 88 crashes, with 74 resulting in property damage.
Officials said one person died and 13 others were injured.
The patrol had 118 motorist assists.
Copyright 2025 KCRG. All rights reserved.
See Iowa DOT snowplow camera capture moment SUV rear ends plow
An Iowa DOT snowplow was hit while clearing snow along Iowa Highway 60 in Sioux County on Nov. 29, 2025. The crash was caught on the plow’s cameras.
A winter storm warning remains in effect until 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, for a large swath of the state, from northwest Iowa to much of central Iowa and southeast Iowa.
Drivers should expect slippery conditions.
Snow fell through the morning with accumulations of 2 to 3 inches across most of Iowa, according to the National Weather Service. The light, fluffy snow will taper off in the afternoon.
The weather service advises that snow-covered roads will make travel slick and more difficult and to use caution.
The counties affected include Pocahontas, Sac, Calhoun, Webster, Hamilton, Crawford, Carroll, Greene, Boone, Story, Marshall, Guthrie, Dallas, Polk, Jasper, Poweshiek, Warren, Marion, Mahaska, Monroe, Wapello and Davis.
Where did snow fall the most in Iowa?
Southern Iowa felt the brunt of the snow Saturday morning, with some areas experiencing nearly five inches of accumulation. Here are the highest totals so far in Iowa:
- Milton: 4.5 inches
- Parnell: 4.5 inches
- Norwalk: 3.8 inches
- Badger: 3.5 inches
- Bloomfield: 3.3 inches
- Carroll: 3.2 inches
- Buffalo: 3.2 inches
- North English: 3 inches
- Winterset: 2.6 inches
How much snow has fallen in Des Moines?
The Des Moines International Airport reported 1.2 inches of snow as of 6 a.m. Saturday. Norwalk, just south of Des Moines, reported 3.8 inches of snow by 10:30 a.m. Clive reported 2.7 inches of snow at 10 a.m.
How much snow did Iowa City get?
North Liberty, just north of Iowa City, reported three inches of snow as of 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Tiffin, which is to the northwest of Iowa City, reported 2.7 inches of snow at 10 a.m.
Roads across the state are covered in snow
The Iowa DOT reported that, as of 11 a.m., many of central Iowa’s highways and interstates were completely covered with snow. The organization said travel on I-80 from central Iowa to the Illinois border is not advised.
“Visibility and road conditions are deteriorating rapidly, causing multiple crashes and closing lanes,” the DOT said in a social media post around 11 a.m.
More snow followed by frigid temps
A cold weather advisory is in effect for much of northern, central and southeastern Iowa into Sunday morning. In the Des Moines area, wind chill values could drop to as low as -15. Wind chills across the state are expected between -20 and -30 starting at 6 p.m. Saturday.
(This article has been updated to include new information.)
CLARKE COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) – An Iowa man was charged Friday in connection to a deadly horse-drawn buggy crash that killed a teenager last month.
Jacob Wright, 41, of Grand River, is facing charges including involuntary manslaughter and leaving the scene of a deadly accident.
The crash happened in Clarke County on November 12. According to the crash report, Wright’s car hit the back of the buggy and ran it into a ditch.
Elmer Borntrager, 16, was thrown from the buggy and died at the scene.
Police found Wright’s damaged vehicle days later about five miles from the crash scene.
Copyright 2025 KCRG. All rights reserved.
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