A freak tornado with winds clocked at 83 m.p.h. swept onto the Iowa State University campus Thursday afternoon injuring seven. The twister, embedded within a larger area of straight-line thunderstorm winds, reached the Ames-based campus, 35 miles north of Des Moines, at 12:31 p.m. and was on the ground nearly half a mile. Its maximum damage path was 30 yards, according to the National Weather Service.
Storms of a different kind on our sun have led to a series of powerful solar flares in recent days—unusual because they are occurring only five months from what is typically the quietest portion of the 11 year sunspot cycle. Disruptions in communication may extend to radios being used in Katrina recovery work on the Gulf Coast. And, astronomer Dan Joyce cautions earth may be brushed by a “shock passage” from these flares capable of setting off auroral displays and some radio interference.
-Tom Skilling
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
