RARE January Tornado Williamsburg, IA 1-16-2023
For the first time since January 24, 1967, tornadoes occurred in Iowa during the month of January. This was a classic cold core setup featuring limited moisture, but plenty of low level instability and shear. The first storms formed around Pella, and then we followed those cells between Pella and Oskaloosa northeast toward New Sharon. The first cell went outflow dominant, but a new storm quickly formed south of Williamsburg and merged into an existing updraft eventually leading to a large wedge tornado that crossed I-80. Minor damage occurred to a farm stead, but a large open area limited the amount of damage indicators. #iawx