Iowa City suffers worst storm damage since 2013; Eastern Iowa could see more storms

IOWA CITY - Storms ripped through Eastern Iowa early Wednesday morning, with Iowa City seeing its worst storm damage since 2013, according to officials.

Public Works Director Ron Knoche said Iowa City's damage came in the form of downed trees, mostly in western Iowa City and south of Highway 6 on the east side of the Iowa River. He said crews were out Wednesday morning to survey the city's tree damage and determine whether free limb and branch disposal should be offered to residents. A decision on that was expected by Wednesday afternoon.

'It's pretty much just tree damage is what we've seen in Iowa City,” Knoche said. 'I would say this is probably more damage than what we've seen in past events.”

The storm came in the form of high winds and rain. Parts of Cedar Rapids experienced wind gusts up to 63 mph, while parts of Iowa City saw 59 mph wind gusts, according to the National Weather Service.

Portions of Linn County received more than 4 inches of rain during the storm, including near Prairieburg, which saw 4.25 inches, according to the National Weather Service. Much of Cedar Rapids, Hiawatha and Marion received between 2 inches and 3.25 inches.

In Cedar Rapids, Mike Wilcox said he was awakened around 2:30 a.m. and told a large tree had fallen on his truck and his mother's car. The tree remained on top of the vehicles Wednesday morning and the city closed the 1800 block of Mallory Street, where Wilcox lives.

'The city stopped by to remove the tree,” he said. 'They wouldn't touch it until the insurance company was notified.”

Wilcox said his mother's car, which was largely covered in branches, would probably be fine. His truck, however, took the brunt of the damage from the fallen tree trunk.

'I'm going to try to fix it up so I can drive it,” Wilcox said.

Cedar Rapids spokesperson Emily Muhlbach said city officials had only seen 'minor” issues following the storm. She said the city's forestry division is taking care of a few downed trees and there are no flooding concerns.

Knoche said despite the severity of Iowa City's damage during the storm, this summer has been normal in terms of the number of storms the city usually sees.

Eastern Iowa could see more storms in the coming days. A National Weather Service hazardous weather outlook report predicts a slight risk for severe thunderstorms Wednesday afternoon and evening, which could include heavy rainfall, frequent lightning and damaging winds.

The report also shows an 'enhanced risk.” or just greater than a slight risk with the potential for more persistent or widespread storms, for severe storms Thursday afternoon and evening for the area. Monday and Tuesday also have the potential for storms, but it's too early to determine the chance of those storms being severe, according to the report.

The funds to clean up storms in Iowa City come from the Public Works Department's general operations budget, Knoche said.

Iowa City plans to collect storm debris with normal weekly trash pickup because city staff did not see the need for any special collection times. Residents can bundle limbs and branches that are less than 4 inches in diameter and place them curbside or take it to Iowa City's landfill where there is no size or bundling requirements.

The City of Coralville announced it would collect downed tree limbs and branches from residents Thursday through Tuesday. The diameter of the limbs and branches should be no greater than 6 inches and should be placed on the curb for pick up, according to a news release.

If any resident has issues with storm damage, Knoche said to contact the Streets Department or city's landfill for more information.

- The Gazette's Lee Hermiston contributed to this story.