What meteorologist John McLaughlin called a “twisting storm” passed through Jefferson shortly after 6 p.m. Friday night, causing damage in roughly two blocks on both sides of the Union Pacific railroad tracks from just east of the Iowa Highway 4 overpass to N. West Street.
Genesis Development, Dagit Auction, Casey’s General Store and the former Wahl-McAtee Tire and Service Center were all damaged. At Casey’s, store staff and customers took shelter in the walk-in cooler as the tornado sirens sounded.
Wahl-McAtee vacated its building on W. McKinley Street last month with the opening of a new building on N. Elm Street.
All of Jefferson was without electricity until about 9 p.m. Friday. Some neighborhoods were restored after midnight, and the area that was most affected did not yet have electricity Saturday afternoon. Alliant crews were on the scene.
Victoria Riley is the publisher of the Greene County News Online.
