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EF-0 tornado touched down in Johnston Friday morning | National Weather Service

The National Weather Service says an EF-0 touched down in Polk County on Friday morning.

DES MOINES, Iowa — The National Weather Service says an EF-0 tornado touched down briefly in Polk County on Friday morning.

"Damage was primarily to trees and powerlines," the agency said. 

NWS said the tornado followed a short track from southern to eastern Johnston from 4:53 to 4:57 a.m.

EF-0 tornadoes are classified by max wind speeds between 65 and 85 mph.

You can view the latest forecast from Local 5 at this link. A full list of storm reports from the National Weather Service is available at this link.

RELATED: LOCAL 5 FORECAST: Severe storms sweep across Iowa again

Power Outages

More than 11,700 MidAmerican Energy customers are without power as of 1:10 p.m. Friday, including 7,704 in Des Moines. Click here to view the outage map.

Alliant Energy's outage map shows nearly 1,000 customers without power.

The City of Ames Electric Services outage map indicates 14 customers are without power. 

Road closures and traffic delays

5:12 a.m.

5:33 a.m.

6:12 a.m.

Interstate 35 southbound is completely blocked due to a crash between Exit 139: County Road D41 and IA 175.

6:45 a.m.

A portion of Merle Hay Road near 62nd Street in front of Hy-Vee is blocked as crews respond to a car on fire. There have been reports of downed powerlines in the area.

The Johnston-Grimes Metropolitan Fire District also reported several other areas to avoid due to downed trees or other hazards:

  • Pioneer Parkway
  • Winwood Parkway, between Winwood Apartments and Bishop Drum
  • 5900 block of Crabapple Lane

8:05 a.m.

Highway G46 from T17 to 198th Place in Marion County is closed due to a low power line. Additional reports indicate a low power line at 198th and Jewel Drive.

Watches and Warnings

The following areas were under a Flood Watch until 4 p.m. Friday:

  • Jasper County
  • Keokuk County
  • Mahaska County
  • Marion County
  • Marshall County
  • Poweshiek County
  • Tama County

RELATED: Gov. Reynolds, FEMA officials hold press conference in Greenfield

Stay Weather Aware!

RELATED: Cleaning up storm debris? Here's how to get rid of it in Des Moines metro

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