DES MOINES, Iowa - About 3,000 people are without power in Iowa at 7:30 a.m. That's down from more than 11,000 across the state last night after heavy storms moved through. About 600 remain without power in Des Moines, 2,000 around Iowa City, and several hundred more in the Davenport region.
There was flash flooding on I-80 with the heavy rain, both in the Des Moines metro area and in eastern Iowa near Coralville where several inches of water was reported on the eastbound lanes and a Flash Flood Warning was issued.
High winds came with the storms downing trees and powerlines. A sheep shed was reported blown away in eastern Iowa. Theop wind reported is 78-miles an hour in Williamstown in eastern Iowa, and we have reports of hail more than an inch in Urbandale and Windsor Heights in Central Iowa.
There's lots of lightening with these storms.... a lightening strike gets the blame for setting a tree on fire in Des Moines... a fire they couldn't put out.
Firefighters say lightning hit a no-parking sign, traveled into the ground, and then ruptured a natural gas line, setting a nearby tree on fire, with the gas feeding the fire until utility crews could shut off the gas line. Photo below from WHO TV 13.
More storms are likely into the weekend. Keep your radio nearby for severe weather information.