Winterset: The Unexpected EF4

On the afternoon of March 5th 2022, a seemingly typical severe weather setup in the upper Midwest would produce a swath of tornadoes across the state of Iowa. One of these tornadoes would go down in history as it left behind a 70mi path of destruction. This is the true story of 2022 Winterset Tornado.

The tornado was on the ground for over an hour and a half and traveled for 70 miles, making it the longest tracked tornado of the March 5th outbreak and the longest tracked tornado to hit Iowa in nearly a decade. Winterset was also the deadliest tornado to strike Iowa since the Parkersburg EF5 that occurred on May 25, 2008, and remarkably was also the farthest north violent tornado ever to occur so early in the season.

EF Scale explanation:
EF0 Light Damage (65-85mph)
EF1 Moderate Damage (86-110mph)
EF2 Considerable Damage (111-135mph)
EF3 Severe Damage (136-165mph)
EF4 Devastating Damage (166-200mph)
EF5 Incredible Damage (201mph+)

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[terrystowers]

I’ve witnessed two very large and very destructive EF4 tornadoes first hand. I find them to be the to be the most terrifying experiences I’ve ever had. I’ve never experienced a tsunami, but that would rank up there as well. It’s impossible to understand the power of a tornado until you’ve been directly in the path of one with no opportunity to evacuate. The scariest one occurred near Saint Peter, MN in the late 1990s, and it was an absolute grizzly bear of a storm. The first really unsettling event was stepping outside and seeing a yin/yang cloud structure stretching as far as the eye could see in both directions. On one side the sky was sunny and gorgeous, and then it was the coming of Armageddon. There was no transition whatsoever into a single solid wall of dark black storm cloud. It looked like the world would end, and I’m not kidding. I’ve never seen anything so threatening or so energetic. As I drove onward towards my destination, I estimated that I could get home before any really bad weather occurred. The radio suddenly began blaring a message from the NWS that a strong tornado had touched down roughly 25 miles directly in front of me. I realized that my path was going to take me under the black blanket of storm cloud for several miles and that I would be increasingly more in danger of encountering the funnel cloud the deeper under this black cap of clouds I went. The NWS reported that the funnel cloud was actively traveling at approximately 39mph N/NE direction and heavy damage was reported. I was still heading directly into this thing’s path, but I felt I’d be fine. As I drove onward I noticed after roughly ten minutes that the wind was increasing rapidly and that it was definitely changing its trajectory. My car was becoming occasionally difficult to handle, then more and more so as the winds picked up. Five minutes into this wind buffeting me from everywhere I received a panic inducing blast of wind on my car’s left side that was not stopping. I didn’t know what to do, but I knew that getting out of the car to seek shelter was not a viable option. I was on pancake flat terrain with not even a storm swale to get low into. I noticed that, as the rain began to pour harder and more intensely, the wind was at a very concerning speed that debris was moving through the field of vision in front and to the right of me. This tornado was right in front of me, maybe a mile and a half away. The debris in the air began to suggest an outline or profile edge of the tornado, but it was very much rain wrapped. Then, at one point, the profile became clear, and I was literally frozen in fear. It was absolutely filling my field of vision to the front and right of me. What never leaves my mind is that I could still see the gorgeous, clear weather I veered away from many miles back, and the stark blackness that I was facing into. It was surreal. This massive, monstrous, unimaginably powerful monster was bearing down too fast and I had driven right into its path because I couldn’t see it. By the grace of God, or dumb luck, the intensity of the storm quelled as it moved off to the north on my right hand side. I was facing roughly due west. I could see things flying through the air, big things, and my car was being pummeled by smaller detritus. I was in an area of essentially open farm acreage for miles, with the occasional barn and farmhouse. I realized that I was seeing someone’s farm flying through the air at 250+ mph., and it was a sobering feeling. My car was threatening to be torn from the ground and suddenly I felt the buffeting ease and the car settling back onto the pavement. This thing had missed me by a football field. One hundred yards, maximum. The radio was still blaring the siren and the voice was calmly speaking information about the violent tornado and damaging winds and shelter now and this town and that town was directly in its path and on and on. I continued toward home when I knew it was safe to go and I couldn’t believe what I saw. Telephone and A/C transmission lines were strewn around like silly string at a birthday party, and the poles were lying flat, all pointed in the same direction. Not one was left standing along the highway and rural off roads. Thankfully, my town was spared. The tornado hadn’t come near it, but for dozens of miles there was a swath of disturbed soil cutting through the vast farmland and fields easily visible from the ground. That storm was extraordinarily powerful and it was absolutely huge. The scale of measly human to EF4 wedge tornado can’t be imagined. It’s like God’s wrath is directly in front of you. It fills the field of vision. It’s literally all you can see. I have the utmost respect and fear for what these things can do. and they can appear without warning from what seems to be a strong thunderstorm that you’ve been through a thousand times, no big deal. Houses were gone. Just gone, without a trace of their existence. That’s a family’s everything. Photographs, legal documents, priceless family heirlooms, favorite teddy bears, the dining room table somebody found for fifty bucks and restored to a beautiful piece to leave for the kids, that thing you hid so well and was so clever of you to think of, , , , all of that just swept who knows where, into another county in some cases. Seeing a massive tidal wave coming at me is probably the only thing that could scare me more than that wedge tornado literally within deer shooting range of me, and I was not going to get away. I was a goner, and it was just as much a fact as the nose on my face. It scared me like a child gets scared when a mean neighborhood dog gets loose and squares up with him for the first time. That’s all natural honest to God terror, for the uninitiated, lol.

[jbaez]

Don't get me wrong, Winterset was by far the biggest "surprise" monster of 2022, but I still think the most unexpected EF4 of the current decade belongs to Cookeville IMO. Nocturnal, in a 2% risk, zero warning of it, 19 lives taken.

Winterset was another example of "if anything can go wrong, it WILL go wrong" disregarding what the outlooks say.

[CeltonHenderson]

Hey everyone! I know I’ve gone for a while been busy collecting footage for my videos, should hopefully be uploading more regularly now. I’ve got a lot of fun stuff planned. Stay tuned!

[randynielsen]

This was a terrifying day on the south side of Des Moines. Was not expecting any severe weather that day, so I was caught completely off guard. Thankful for the local NWS Office sending a very strongly worded emergency alert that prompted me to abandon my third floor apartment and flee. Missed my apartment by around 4 miles.

Since then I have made sure to pay much closer attention to potential severe weather and have multiple ways to receive alerts. I don’t ever want to be caught off guard by a storm like that again.

[addiev]

this tornado was awful to live through. radar showed it being directly over my house between norwalk and winterset. i was out of the house and couldn’t get a hold of my family who was at home during the storm. the tornado ended up sweeping a house a mile north from mine. they’ve completely rebuilt now but there’s still trees snapped in half and debris wrapped around the trees by that house. thank you for covering this storm!

[PsychedelicFairy]

I just watched Kuri’s story of what this tornado took from her and her son… it’s so devastating and my heart is broken for everyone who was affected.

[fiveforfishing]

This should have way more views! Your videos are very gripping.

[weathermanofthenorth]

Awesome documentary Celton! This tornado certainly is unique, especially in terms of the (mostly) non-conducive environment for a tornado of that strength.

[jamesstemmler]

I'm a truck driver. I drove through Winterset only 45min before the tornado hit. When I heard the alert come over the weather channels on my CB and checked my phone to see real time updates I couldn't believe a huge tornado hit the town just after I passed through😳

[JungleJayAdventures]

Fantastic Doc my man! Keep up that good work.

[keithbailey]

Outstanding production, Celton. If the EF4 had formed just five miles north of Winterset and maintained its 45-degree angle path, the death toll would have been much higher because the path would have taken the tornado through south Des Moines and West Des Moines. Most likely, Valley Junction would have received the worst blow.

[dharmaofdog]

I just watched the brave Story of Kuri, one of the Family Members who lost her Mother, Husband and 2 very young Children in their Home. They are mentioned in this Video when it first struck Winterset. Watching this Video after the incredible Interview with Kuri (Insider Edition), it brought a completely different mind set and perhaps, always will. Living in the North East and watching over the years 100's of Tornado Videos, I don't think I will watch one again without bringing to bear the depth of Feeling Kuri expressed in her Video when viewing.  

Kuri's Interview also makes it far more challenging to watch the Storm Chaser's (particularly Amateurs & Thrill Seekers) when they Whoop & Holler with excitement. While I'm aware that Professional Storm Chasers serve the Community with Safety being their ultimate Goal, I always found these reactions uncomfortable knowing that somewhere the Tornado they are gleeful about is bringing such harm. Now I know for sure and have a Family of Faces to think of. I hope that many who chase these Monsters hear Kuri's Story & do the same.

[milliep.]

Thank you for this wonderful reporting of this tornado! I remember sheltering in my mother's basement while the tornado passed under the southern part of the Metro area. It was very nice to have an in-depth explanation of this storm. It was definitely unexpected.

[samuelpaulin]

I really like you're video, it's really well done and always informative.

[ownagemaximus]

I remember being shocked hearing about this tornado so early in the year. My wife and I had just sold our house in Winterset less than 3 weeks before and found out the tornado was only about a mile away from it.

[DefinitelyNotEmma]

Very nice video as usual. Despite having never seen a tornado I'm equally wary and enamored with them. So quality content like this is the best middle ground for me

[tornadostories]

Superb high level production.
The footage was excellent 👍

[pjesf]

Nice job with this video - images are great, as are the stats and narration 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[TheDriller]

You should think about doing a video on the 2021 Mullica Hill NJ EF3 tornado

[bobsnyder]

This is the best explanation of how a tornado is created. I've watched many educational videos on tornado creation but I must say this is the best explanation