1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado
The Easter Week 2006 tornado outbreak sequence was a tornado outbreak sequence during the days leading up to Easter, continuing into the week after the holiday. It was the third major outbreak of April 2006, which had been an unusually busy month for tornado activity.
Meteorological synopsis
F1 damage to a farm near Anamosa, Iowa.
On April 13, a complex of severe thunderstorms formed in eastern Iowa, bringing many reports of large hail along with unexpected reports of strong tornadoes, some with debris. The worst impacts were felt in the Iowa City area, where significant damage and numerous injuries were reported, in addition to at least one death across the region.
Another supercell developed on April 14 across western Indiana, producing a few tornadoes; although, nothing very serious was actually reported. That system moved eastward over the Mid-Atlantic States on April 15, but no tornadoes were reported there.
While the first system moved eastward, a second system developed over the Upper Midwest and tracked across the Midwest between April 15 and 16. This new system produced 40 reported tornadoes, several of which have been damaging; however, no fatalities were reported from the second system.
That system then tracked into the Mid-Atlantic on April 17 and was mostly a straight-line wind event, even though there were a handful of new tornadoes reported across the region.
A third system developed on April 18 and brought even more severe weather, this time farther south in the lower Midwest, primarily in Missouri. There were several more tornadoes reported from this one.
The severe weather activity finally ended on April 19 across the South.
The back side of this system produced heavy snow and blizzard conditions over the High Plains.
A recreational trailer was destroyed, with some farm outbuilding roofs and trees damaged. A couple of concrete walls were collapsed, and a cattle shed collapsed as well, killing some cattle.[2]
A mobile home was destroyed and a house lost a portion of its roof. Considerable tree damage was noted and several farm outbuildings were damaged or unroofed.[6]
1 Death - Damage near Lone Tree was limited to trees. Near Nichols, the tornado destroyed a mobile home, resulting in a fatality and one injury. Considerable tree and outbuilding damage occurred, along with some damage to homes and garages.[7]
Near Lone Tree, an outbuilding was damaged, along with some trees. Near Nichols, a community center was unroofed and a new metal pole barn was destroyed. Tornado followed a path very similar to the previous tornado.[8]
Unusual tornado formed on the cold side of a front and was initiated by a downburst. A cattle barn was severely damaged, and another sustained minor damage. A machine shed sustained roof damage, a doghouse was flipped onto its roof, and a power pole was knocked over as well.[11]
A parsonage on the west side of town had 75 percent of its roof torn off with the roof blown onto the house next door. Across the north side of town, several sheds were heavily damaged or destroyed with considerable tree damage. One house had its roof completely torn off with varying roof damage to numerous other houses. Several utility poles were snapped in half.[15]
Tornado touched down near Lincoln Airport. The tornado damaged roofs, siding and outbuildings, and blew down numerous trees and power lines. In addition, before lifting, the tornado damaged several barns in a rural area to the east of Lincoln.[17]
April 14 event
List of reported tornadoes - Friday, April 14, 2006
Long-tracked tornado passed near Beatrice and destroyed one home, severely damaged two other homes, and affected 69 others. Outbuildings were destroyed, and tree damage was also noted.[23]
Several homes were damaged, two of which had their attached garages destroyed. Numerous trees were snapped, barns and outbuildings were destroyed, and a combine was flipped into a pond. An antenna tower was knocked down, and grain bins were destroyed as well.[42]
A mobile home was completely destroyed, with debris scattered hundreds of yards into a field. A refrigerator from the home was found a quarter-mile away. Extensive tree damage occurred, and a car was moved 15 feet. Other homes and outbuildings sustained minor damage.[44]
Tornado destroyed a garage, caused significant tree damage, flattened a highway sign, and caused siding and roof damage to another home and two churches.[50]
April 17 event
List of reported tornadoes - Monday, April 17, 2006
The most well-known tornado of the outbreak was a destructive high-end F2 that tore directly through downtown Iowa City shortly after dark. The tornado touched down at the southwest edge of town and moved northeast, downing power lines and striking the Sheriff's Office. The tornado then struck the University of Iowa campus, heavily damaging multiple buildings and temporarily trapping several students. The motor pool headquarters was a total loss. Just off campus, the Alpha Chi Omega sorority house was also severely damaged, and had to be evacuated following the event.[54] As the tornado struck the downtown area, multiple historic brick buildings sustained collapse of walls or had their roofs torn off. Saint Patrick's Church was heavily damaged by the tornado. Just before the tornado hit, Reverend Rudolph Juarez ushered 50 to 75 parishioners (many elderly) to the safety of the rectory basement next door. This likely saved many lives, as the tornado tore off the roof of the church and collapsed the top portion of the brick facade and the steeple into the main congregation area. Residential sections of the city also sustained major damage, as many trees and power lines were downed, and 1,016 homes and apartment buildings were damaged. Upper portions of exterior walls failed at some of these residences. Elsewhere, a 53-year-old Dairy Queen was destroyed, multiple vehicles were flipped, a Wal-Mart sustained roof damage, and a gas station awning was blown over. Three automobile dealerships were also damaged; one dealership had 200 vehicles damaged, a second had 60-70 vehicles damaged, and a third had nearly every vehicle sustaining some type of damage. A total of 35 businesses were damaged or destroyed. The tornado dissipated as it exited at the northeast side of town.[55][56]
The tornado struck on a Thursday night, which is normally a busy time for the bars of downtown Iowa City. Fortunately, the tornado struck relatively early in the evening, and downtown was not as packed as it might have been had the tornado struck a few hours later. There were a few reports of looting, mainly at establishments where liquor was sold/stored. The Iowa National Guard was called in to restore order and assist with debris cleanup. Electricity was cut to about 7,000 customers in the area, but most power was quickly restored after the tornado.[57] This was the only known tornado to have struck downtown Iowa City. Overall, 30 people were injured in the event.[58]
