The first tornado fatality in five years for Iowa occurred in Adair County early Wednesday morning, killing one and seriously injuring another.

National Weather Service Science and Operations Officer Mike Fowle stated at a press conference at Adair City Hall Wednesday that a preliminary damage survey determined it was an EF-2 tornado, with estimated peak winds of 120-130 miles per hour. The tornado began at 1:29 a.m. and lasted eight minutes, with a path length of 4.8 miles and maximum width of 150 yards. Fowle said a severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Adair County at that time, though radar indications weren’t strong enough to issue a tornado warning, “You know this was not a typical tornado environment. Not only from the environmental perspective, temperatures were in the 50’s, the middle 50’s at the time of the tornado which for those of us that live in Iowa that’s not a typical tornado, what you’d think of tornado weather.”

Fowle added that the time of the tornado was also unique, as less than 5% of tornadoes have occurred between the time of midnight to 6 a.m. since 1980. Adair and Guthrie County Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Kempf advised this event should be a warning for residents to be cognizant of severe weather over the next several months, “Outdoor sirens are only good for outdoors, that’s what they were designed for way back in the ‘40s. They haven’t improved any more since then to warn people that are inside a home or inside a business. That’s where it’s important to have a NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) weather radio, (and) sign up for the alerts.”

Wednesday’s tornado destroyed the home of Harold and Linda Lee Brownlee on Elk Avenue southeast of Adair. That same tornado killed 74-year-old Linda Lee and injured 78-year-old Harold, who was flown by air ambulance to a Des Moines hospital where he is in critical but stable condition. No other injuries have been reported, and at least two other residences and several outbuildings sustained damage. To sign up for the Adair and Guthrie County Emergency Notification System, click here. Whenever a severe thunderstorm or tornado warning is issued for Dallas, Greene, or Guthrie county, listen to the Raccoon Valley Radio network for Severe Weather Action Team coverage.