About this recording
Published 2026-05-25. Seventeen years ago today, Iowa’s last EF5 tornado tore through Parkersburg. On May twenty-fifth, two thousand eight, a violent tornado formed in northeast Iowa and moved through Parkersburg, New Hartford, and surrounding rural areas. The tornado was rated EF5, with estimated winds up to two hundred five miles per hour. It destroyed homes, damaged businesses, shredded trees, injured hundreds, and killed nine people. This archived recording reflects reporting at publication; conditions may have changed.
An archive briefing, not a real-time warning. Follow current instructions from local authorities.
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