National Weather Service classifies Friday morning system as derecho
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - A line of storms that started in Nebraska and stretched across Iowa into Illinois Friday morning fits the definition of a derecho, the National Weather Service said.
A derecho, by definition, is a widespread, long-lived windstorm associated with thunderstorms. For a line of severe thunderstorms to qualify as a derecho, the damage must extend for more than 240 miles and include wind gusts of 58 mph or greater during the length of the storm.
The amount of damage and whether or not there were tornadoes with this storm system is still being assessed.
Not all derechos reach the strength of the one that hit the Midwest in August 2020, causing widespread damage across the state of Iowa.
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