Nine years ago, the towns of Parkersburg and New Hartford were decimated by arguably one of the most destructive tornadoes in this states history. The tornado was the first F5 or EF5 tornado in Iowa since one hit Jordan on June 13, 1976, and the second deadliest in Iowa since official record-keeping began in 1950 (the Charles City tornado of May 15, 1968 comes first).

Nine people lost their lives with another 75 people injured. Estimated peak winds were at 205 MPH over the 43 mile path length. Lightweight debris from the Waterloo area, including photographs, check stubs, and “greeting cards and business records” from a Waterloo Walgreens had been found in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, over 100 miles away.

The National Weather Service in Des Moines has a good review on their website for those that wish to learn more about this tornado.