Another derecho slams NWI

Fireworks continued in northwest Iowa the day after Independence Day.

A massive thunderstorm system slammed the tri-state area on July 5 leaving downed trees, damaged property, bent crops and power outages in its wake. In Hartley, electricity was out for approximately three hours. Several homes and vehicles also received heavy damage due to felled tree limbs, which also snapped power lines throughout town.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Sioux Falls classified the storm as a derecho, which is at least the second to hit the area in the last six months. The storm is defined as a widespread...