Strong winds knocked out power across multiple eastern Iowa towns on Wednesday, leaving 5,089 customers without electricity across Iowa by 5:47 p.m., even as a Tornado Watch remained in effect for most of the TV9 viewing area until 11 p.m.
The outages came while severe weather was moving through the region, underscoring how quickly the storm was already affecting communities before the watch expired. PowerOutage.com showed the statewide total at 5,089 customers on Wednesday evening, a number that reflected more than a routine flicker in service and pointed to broader storm damage across the area.
Dubuque was among the places dealing with the aftermath. The city said it will collect limbs and branches at no extra cost on Thursday and Friday, a sign that cleanup will continue after the wind passed through. For readers following storm coverage in the region, related updates on severe weather across Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa and forecasts for eastern Iowa Wednesday and Thursday have pointed to a busy stretch for the Upper Midwest.
The immediate question is how long the disruption will last. The power totals had already climbed Wednesday evening, the watch was still active late into the night, and the cleanup schedule in Dubuque is now set for the next two days.
