The National Weather Service said a pronounced downburst caused widespread damage in Burlington on Tuesday night, Aug. 27.
A downburst is a sudden rush of wind under and near a thunderstorm.
The weather service said the storm knocked down trees, limbs, and powerlines. Five homes had holes in the roofs due to falling limbs.
A commercial storage building and another large outbuilding had their roofs peeled back, consistent with wind estimates of 70 to 80 mph.
Rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches were observed in parts of northeast Missouri and southeast Iowa.
In Lee County, Fort Madison reported 1.86 inches of rain, Donnellson got 1.48 inches, and 1.21 inches of rain fell in Keokuk
The NWS reported large hail fell for nearly half an hour in Rutledge, Missouri. Some of the hail was as large as golf ball size.
The weather agency said oppressive heat and humidity that began on Monday and persisted into Tuesday helped spawn the storms.
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