Power outages, downed trees reported after storm

UPDATE: Less than 60 Alliant Energy customers remained without power Tuesday morning after strong storms moved through Eastern Iowa Monday night.

Damage was reported in Linn, Jones, Dubuque and Delaware counties.

Alliant spokesman Ryan Stensland said about 3,000 customers, mostly in southeast Cedar Rapids, lost power at about 10:30 p.m. when a breaker at the Prairie Creek substation was tripped. Crews are out looking for the damaged power line that cause the breaker to trip.

“They're patrolling right now and trying to figure out what the cause was,” he said.

Another 800 customers were without power in the Rowley, Walker and Troy Mills area. Stensland said crews also still at work locating that problem – probably a lightning strike or wind damage.

According to the National Weather Service, high winds accompanied the line of storms that crossed Eastern Iowa late Monday night.

A semi-trailer truck was blown off the road at Highway 151 and Sundown Road southwest of Dubuque. Estimated wind gusts of more than 50 miles per hour knocked the semi into the median. The driver sustained minor injuries in the crash.

Gusts in the 60-mph range were reported east of Cedar Rapids about 10:30.

40-foot pine tree blown over

See more photos from the tree that was downed near Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School.

What to expect today

Showers and thunderstorms become the focus through Wednesday as a more active weather pattern sets up, says KCRG-TV9 meteorologist Joe Winters.

The atmosphere will be unstable resulting in the possibility of severe weather. Large hail appears to be the primary threat, but gusty winds and isolated tornadoes could occur, Winters added.

According to the National Weather Service, a cold front will slowly move through the area Tuesday night bringing a chance for widespread thunderstorms. The Storm Prediction Center has placed the entire area in a slight risk category for all of Tuesday.

High Winds Overturn Semi in Dubuque County

Estimated wind gusts of more than 50 miles per hour knocked a semi truck into the median along US Highway 151 in Dubuque County late Monday night.

Law enforcement officers on the scene said that the truck met a strong gust at the top of a hill near the intersection of Highway 151 and Sundown Road.  The gust caused the semi's driver to lose control.  The driver sustained minor injuries in the crash.

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