Winterset tornado
The tornado, seen southwest of town | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | March 5, 2022, 4:26 p.m. CDT (UTC−06:00) |
| Dissipated | March 5, 2022, 6:00 p.m. CST (UTC−06:00) |
| Duration | 1 hour, 34 minutes |
| EF4 tornado | |
| on the Enhanced Fujita scale | |
| Max width | 900 yards (0.51 mi; 0.82 km) |
| Path length | 70.57 miles (113.57 km) |
| Highest winds | 170 mph (270 km/h) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 6 |
| Injuries | 5 |
| Damage | $220 million (2022 USD) (Costliest tornado in 2022) |
| Areas affected | Des Moines metro area, Specifically Winterset, Iowa |
Part of the Tornado outbreak of March 5–7, 2022 and Tornadoes of 2022 | |
In the afternoon hours of March 5, 2022, a large, long-track and violent tornado tracked through areas just outside of Winterset, located near Des Moines in the state of Iowa. The tornado damaged and destroyed many residences, with one home being leveled at low-end EF4 intensity. The tornado was the most intense to touch down during the tornado outbreak of March 5–7, 2022, and was the costliest tornado of 2022, inflicting $220 million (2022 USD) worth of damages along a 70.57 mile (113.57 km) path.
The tornado first touched down near Macksburg at 4:26 p.m., moving northeast while rapidly strengthening. As the tornado crossed Highway 169, it reached EF4 intensity, killing six people in homes on Carver Road, located to the southwest of Winterset. The tornado continued to move through rural areas, eventually causing damage to portions of the Des Moines metropolitan area before dissipating at 6:00 p.m. northeast of Newton.