Follow up: Cass County EMA Coordinator Describes Friday’s Funnel Sightings as a Weak Rope Tornado

(Atlantic) Several funnel clouds were sighted, and a brief one touched down in Cass County on Friday evening. The sirens went off when a rope tornado was spotted four miles southwest of Marne at 7:49 p.m. Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon says at 7:58 p.m., a tornado touched down briefly three miles west of Atlantic. (Links to Videos are posted below the story)

The National Weather Service in Des Moines issued a tornado warning, which expired at 8:30 p.m. Sirens were activated in Atlantic, Wiota, Lewis, and Anita. According to Kennon, it was a weak rope tornado moving incredibly slow. Kennon also described the sight as moisture being sucked up into the rotation and emphasized that despite the weakness of the system, precautions must still be met.

Another Tornado Warning was issued for northeastern Cass County and portions of Adair County when a funnel was spotted at 8:45 p.m., two miles southwest of Wiota. Another report came out at 9:00 p.m., five miles southwest of Anita. Kennon stated that there were no damage reports from the system that slowly moved through the area on Friday evening.

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(Photo at the top of the Page Submitted by John Lorenzen in Marne.