April 13 event

April 14 event

April 15 event

April 16 event

April 17 event

April 18 event

Iowa City, Iowa

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]