May 22 (UPI) — A tornado that smashed through a western Iowa city on Tuesday killed four people and injured at least 35 others, officials said Wednesday as they revealed the death toll left in the twister’s wake.
The storm hit Greenfield, a city of some 2,000 people located about 60 miles southwest of Des Moines, Tuesday afternoon. Videos and images circulated online show stretches of the town razed and reduced to debris.
The Iowa Department of Public Safety announced the casualty toll Wednesday, stating it believes the number of injured is likely higher and the 35 individuals reported only reflect those being treated for injuries at designated alternate care sites.
At least 14 people were transported by EMS services to out-of-country medical facilities, it said.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds visited Greenfield to inspect the damage.
“The community of Greenfield is strong,” the Republican governor said in a statement.
“Amid the devastation there is hope and resilience. Progress is already visible, and it will continue. Thank you to emergency management, first responders, law enforcement, health care providers, and everyone supporting the effort.”
On Tuesday following the severe weather, Reynolds had authorized a Proclamation of Disaster Emergency for 15 counties, including Adair, where Greenfield is located, freeing up state resources to be used for recovery operations while activating the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant and Disaster Case Advocacy programs.
In a press conference in Greenfield on Wednesday, Reynolds said she requested an expedited presidential disaster declaration.
State Rep. Ray Sorensen, who represents the 23rd district, that includes Adair County, said the storm has forever changed Greenfield’s appearance, felling historic trees that made its skyline.
“There are so many historic trees in town that are gone, and, you know, not to downplay people’s houses completely destroyed, but that to me is the history of Greenfield are some of those old trees and it’s a completely different town now,” he said.
“I was glad that it spared the grandstand at the fairgrounds, because that’s another historic grandstand and so we’ve been lucky there.”
The storm hit less than a month after both Minden and Shelby, Iowa, were slammed with strong tornadoes, killing at least one person.
Hear from Iowa folk duo Weary Ramblers on their song Pretty Lights of Denver
Hear from Kathryn Severing Fox and Chad Elliott of Weary Ramblers as they discuss their musical chemistry and creative process.
What would RAGBRAI be without Hairball and the Pork Tornadoes?
Cyclists on the July 19-25 ride will have the chance to rock with both of the venerable Iowa party bands as they perform on back-to-back nights.
They’re perennials on the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, as traditional as the Mississippi River tire dip. Hairball will bring its signature pyrotechnic, costumed arena rock tribute to the main stage in the overnight town of Boone on Tuesday, July 21, and the Pork Tornadoes will be in Marshalltown on July 22 to perform selections from their seemingly endless, genre-spanning repertoire.
Other headlining party-cover faves booked in RAGBRAI overnight towns will include the Spazmatics in Dyersville, Not Quite Brothers in Independence and Gut Feeling in Onawa.
But if you’re a fan of original music, make plans to spend a little extra time at the stage in Guthrie Center, the Monday, Day 2, overnight town.
While Gimikk, a RAGBRAI classic cover band that also proudly performs some originals, will be the headliner, don’t miss the other Iowa originals on the bill.
Most prominent are the Nadas, a fixture on the state’s music scene for nearly 35 years. Co-founders Jason Walsmith and Mike Butterworth got their start in Ames in the early 1990s while students at Iowa State University. Expanding into a five-member ensemble, they worked to build a following across the country and have sold thousands of records on their independent Authentic label featuring their original, alt-rock-leaning folk-Americana tunes.
Marking 25 years of the Nadas in 2018, Walsmith told the Register, “As long as it’s fun, we’re always going to do it.” And they still are, performing regularly and adding another album, “Come Along for the Ride,” to their lengthy discography in 2023.
Also on the bill: a duo that has launched with a bang. The Weary Ramblers, Iowans Chad Elliott and Kathryn Severing Fox, are songwriting and performing partners who got their start in 2022. Elliott, a veteran guitarist and singer on the Iowa scene, and Severing Fox, a classically trained musician steeped in jazz violin, released a debut album in 2024 that hit the top 10 on the Americana charts and produced a hit single, “Pretty Lights of Denver.”
In December 2025, they collected a major award for independent songwriters presented at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. With a second album starting to chart, they were back in Tennessee again in January to compete in the International Blues Challenge, and came home the overall winners for solo or duo act.
In growing demand as touring performers, they opened for the Des Moines Symphony at the annual Yankee Doodle Pops show July 3 on the grounds of the Iowa Capitol, drawing an enthusiastic response from a crowd of nearly 100,000.
Steve Smith, the Guthrie Center RAGBRAI entertainment chair who tapped the Nadas and Weary Ramblers, is high on a third act: Hillbilly Air Show, the afternoon’s opener. They’re a country duo that includes former Navy fighter pilot Brick Imerman and whose songbook is rich with the tunes of honky-tonk balladeers like George Strait and Alan Jackson.
One thing Imerman, of Panora, and Elliott, a Lamoni native who lives in Jefferson, have in common: They spent their school days in Guthrie Center, where Smith was a teacher and now is superintendent of the regional school district.
“There’s just a personal connection,” said Smith, who counts himself a big fan of the musical careers his former students have forged. And he said he’s been kicking himself for 25 years after failing to book the Nadas for a school reunion when he had the chance,. He said he wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity a second time.
Smith said he got some pushback from other Guthrie Center RAGBRAI organizers for his unorthodox choices, but stuck by them.
He said he hopes the town’s show and an effort to keep food and beverage vendor prices reasonable will reward the riders for climbing some of the 2026 ride’s steepest hills coming into and leaving town.
So far, he said, he’s gotten a positive reception from veteran RAGBRAI riders who’ve heard about his eclectic music lineup.
“They said they don’t always go to the (overnight town) shows, but, ‘If you’re having them, we’re there,’” he said.
Hillbilly Air Show goes on at 2 p.m., followed by the Weary Ramblers at 4 p.m. and the Nadas at 6:30 p.m. Smith invites Des Moines metro residents who aren’t on the ride to join the party.
“We’re a town of 1,600 that’s going to be invaded by another 30,000 to 40,000, but we’re ready,” he said.
Onawa, Day 0, Saturday, July 18
8:30 p.m.: Gut Feeling
Harlan, Day 1, Sunday, July 19
8 p.m.: Decoy
Guthrie Center, Day 2, Monday, July 20
9 p.m.: Gimikk
Boone, Day 3, Tuesday, July 21
8:30 p.m.: Hairball
Marshalltown, Day 4, Wednesday, July 22
8:45 p.m.: Pork Tornadoes
Independence, Day 5, Thursday, July 23
8:45 p.m.: Not Quite Brothers
Dyersville, Day 6, Friday, July 24
9 p.m.: Spazmatics
SIOUX COUNTY, Iowa (KTIV) – A Woodbury County woman was taken by ambulance to the hospital after a rollover took place in Sioux County.
The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office says 45-year-old Jenni Madison of Sioux City was taken to the hospital Saturday, July 11.
Authorities say at about 12:01 p.m., deputies investigated a rollover that took place on Highway 60, one mile south of Alton. According to the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office, the car was traveling north on Highway 60 when the driver lost control, entered the median and rolled.
Deputies say Madison was taken by ambulance to the Orange City Area Health System to be treated for minor injuries. The vehicle sustained $12,500 in damage.
Orange City Fire Department, Alton Fire Department, Alton Ambulance, the Orange City Police Department, and the Iowa State Patrol helped the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office at the scene.
Want to get the latest news and weather from Siouxland’s News Source? Follow these links to download our KTIV News app and our First Alert Weather app.
Copyright 2026 KTIV. All rights reserved.
A number of Iowa high school baseball standouts were selected during the 2026 Major League Baseball draft. The amateur draft was conducted July 11-12, 2026 from the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Gable Mitchell, Kaleb LaFavor, Caleb Klein, Sam George, Nate Smithburg and Kooper Schulte each heard their names called during the draft.
Mitchell, an Iowa City High grad, was picked in the eighth round with the 193rd overall pick by the Toronto Blue Jays. He played his collegiate baseball at the University of Iowa after batting .466 with 12 extra-base hits, 55 runs scored, 29 RBI and 25 steals, going 5-0 with a 0.95 earned run average and 18 strikeouts as a senior.
In high school, Mitchell was an all-stater in baseball and earned all-conference honors on the football field. His grandfather is Dan Gable, an Olympic wrestling gold medalist who led the Hawkeyes to 15 NCAA championships.
LaFavor, currently a senior at Sioux City Bishop Heelan High School, was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 10th round with the 304th pick. He has gone 3-1 with 40 strikeouts and a 0.79 earned run average in just under 18 innings on the mound this summer.
Klein, a Western Dubuque High School prep, played at Southeastern Community College and Southeast Missouri. He helped lead the Bobcats to back-to-back Class 3A Iowa High School Athletic Association State Baseball Tournament championships.
During his senior season at Western Dubuque, Klein hit .414 with nine doubles, seven triples, 49 runs scored and 30 RBI, stealing 20 bases. He went to the Atlanta Braves with the 442nd pick in the 15th round.
George, a former Pleasant Valley High School standout, played for Minnesota State University this past spring and was picked by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 19th round with the No. 581 overall selection.
In his final high school season with the Spartans, he struck out 62 batters in 44 innings, putting together a 2.07 earned run average.
Smithburg was picked by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 18th round with the 533rd pick after playing at Fairfield High School and for the Oklahoma Sooners.
As a senior, Smithburg went 6-1 with 83 strikeouts and a 0.43 earned run average in 47 innings pitched on the mound.
Schulte, who played at New London High School, played collegiately at Central Arizona, Southeastern Community College and for the Iowa Hawkeyes. He was selected by the New York Mets in the 20th round with the 600th pick overall.
He was an all-stater for New London in 2022, helping lead them to a state baseball championship that same season. As a senior, Schulte hit .444 with six home runs, 13 doubles, 50 runs scored, 44 RBI and nine steals, recording three saves and 29 strikeouts in just over 14 innings pitched.
Follow
Do You Know These Greek Plays and Poems That Were Turned Into Movies?
Why your favorite international artist might be reconsidering their next U.S. tour
Nintendo’s Switch 2 bundle that includes a game is $50 off
Inside Israel’s mission to train civilians to stop the next Oct 7-like terror attack
Trump reveals who he’s eyeing to replace Lindsey Graham
Notable figures who died from the same heart condition linked to Lindsey Graham’s death
Folarin Balogun admits that red-card reversal affected USA World Cup teammates: ‘A lot of outside noise’
Humanoid robots perform live surgery in world first
