A line of severe thunderstorms with 100+ mph winds, known in weather parlance as a “derecho” (from a Spanish word), rumbled across Iowa and northern illinois on Monday, Aug. 10, 2020, destroying homes, damaging croplands, and leaving over a million people without power.
Iowa’s governor requested disaster relief for 25 counties in her state.
Derechos form in weather conditions similar to those that spawn tornados, but unlike a tornado, a derecho’s winds blow in a single direction instead of rotating. The destruction can be similar. For more information about this weather phenomenon, click here.
Anyone who’s spent time in the upper midwest knows spectacular thunderstorms are a signature weather event of the region, but a derecho is a frontal system high on drugs. I’ve never seen one, but I’ve been through a tornado.
Photo: Wrecked grain silos in Iowa
