TAKE COVER

At Least Seven Killed as Deadly Winter Tornado Slams Iowa

The dead included two children and devastated an area southwest of Des Moines.

A devastating rare winter tornado killed at least seven people after it ripped through Madison and Lucas Counties in Iowa late Saturday afternoon. The National Weather Service in Des Moines said it was an EF3 storm with wind speeds of more than 135 miles an hour. The NWS had warned of a “large and extremely dangerous storm” moving through Pleasant Hill, telling people to seek shelter. Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for Madison County late Saturday as emergency crews picked through the debris, and officials confirmed that four adults and two children died in the storm. “Our hearts go out to all those affected by the deadly storms that tore through our state today,” she said. “Our hearts ache during this time, but I know Iowans will step up and come together to help in this time of need—they already are.”