News : Storm brings rain, hail, tornado warnings to area; no reports of injuries or major damage in Vinton

Communications Specialist Kyla Upah gathered these hailstorms outside the Benton County Sheriff's Office/Jail on Wednesday. A storm brought heavy rains and some hail as large as one inch in diameter to the Benton County area Wednesday evening. However, Benton County Emergency Management Director Scott Hansen said that he has not heard reports of any major structural damage or injuries, although crop damage in that area between Vinton and Urbana is possible. Heavy rains interrupted baseball and softball games, and slowed traffic on highways. Jason Hicok's Vinton Weather web site reported more than a half-inch of rain after the first round of storms passed through. The cold front accompanying the storms dropped the temperature quickly from more than 80 to around 65. Thunderstorm and tornado warnings affected several counties throughout eastern Iowa; a tornado caused damage to buildings near the tiny town of Prairieburg, about 15 miles east of Center Point, in Linn County. Several area residents shared photos of the storm and hail on social media pages. Another storm cell passed through northern Benton County at around 9 p.m., bringing rain but no damage. Vicky Buckingham shared photos of the hail and her hail-covered porch. Tomorrow, Hansen cautioned, may bring more storms.