EASTERN IOWA — Storms that began in eastern Iowa on Tuesday morning and moved into Illinois and Indiana have been classified as a derecho, a widespread windstorm capable of producing damaging straight-line winds over a large area.
A derecho can develop when thunderstorms organize into a long-lived, fast-moving line and produce widespread wind damage. The storms that moved out of Iowa followed that pattern as they pushed east.
Derechos are not unusual in Iowa, as we are well aware…