Storm Lake storm knocks down ash tree, damages Shoreway Road roof
A 75-foot ash tree split near parked cars, and Shoreway Road took a roof hit as City Hall sent a four-person crew to clear the mess.
I woke before dawn to a hard storm rolling over Storm Lake, and by morning the damage was plain: an ash tree in my yard had split and come down so close to parked cars it could easily have done far worse. The trunk broke off the main stem at about 1.5 feet across, and the tree stood roughly 75 feet tall before the wind brought it down.
The same storm also hit a house on Shoreway Road, where a large tree damaged the roof. It was the kind of overnight blow that leaves more than branches on the ground. It also leaves a reminder of how exposed much of Storm Lake has become as ash trees weakened by emerald ash borer continue to fail when severe weather moves through.
By 8 a.m., City Hall had been called, and about 30 minutes later a four-person public works crew arrived with a bucket truck, dump truck and loader. The crew cut up the tree, hauled it away and cleaned the yard before moving on to the next call. That quick response kept a bad morning from becoming a longer cleanup for the block, but it also showed how often city crews are being asked to absorb the fallout from storm damage.
Storm Lake has spent the last year treating tree debris as an ongoing burden, not a one-time problem. In spring 2025, the city contracted with Ceres Environmental Services for up to $75,000 to grind storm-damaged trees into mulch for public use. Later that summer, a derecho brought gusts over 60 mph to the Storm Lake area, with winds warned to exceed 80 mph, leaving roof damage, downed trees, traffic reroutes and generator use for essential systems. Buena Vista County had already faced another round of severe weather in May 2024, when an EF1 tornado damaged at least four properties and prompted a disaster proclamation from Governor Kim Reynolds’ office.
The June 17 storm fit into that pattern. It knocked down a large ash tree, damaged a Shoreway Road roof and sent public works crews back out before most residents had fully started their day. In Storm Lake, the cleanup now begins almost as quickly as the storm itself.
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