Tornado Warning Issued for Buena Vista County as Severe Storms Near Storm Lake

Severe weather moved close enough to Storm Lake and Webb Monday evening to trigger a tornado warning for Buena Vista and Clay counties, with radar showing strong rotation and the warning remaining in effect until about 8:15 p.m. CDT.

The National Weather Service office in Sioux Falls had already warned that strong to severe storms were expected Tuesday afternoon and evening across northwest Iowa, with large hail, damaging winds and even a few tornadoes possible. That office handles warning and forecast responsibility for 11 counties in northwest Iowa, including Buena Vista County, which is why forecasters were watching the system closely as it approached.

Residents near Storm Lake and in Webb were urged to move quickly to shelter as the warning came through. The storm threat came with little room for hesitation, especially in a county that has seen how quickly severe weather can turn destructive. In May 2024, an EF1 tornado struck Buena Vista County and damaged at least four properties north of Alta, though no injuries were reported.

The warning also revived memories of another fast-moving storm near Storm Lake in April 2024, when emergency officials said the event developed rapidly and the county’s seven storm sirens were not sounded before straight-line winds hit. Todd Heitkamp later noted that the storms developed well behind the cold front, and without a tornado warning from the National Weather Service, the automatic siren system in Storm Lake stayed off.

That history makes the timing of Monday’s warning especially important for Buena Vista County families, farm operators and anyone traveling between Storm Lake, Webb and the rural roads in between. When radar shows rotation, officials say the safest move is to get inside a sturdy building, head to the lowest level and stay away from windows until the danger passes.

For a county that has already dealt with tornado damage near Alta and a disruptive severe weather episode in Storm Lake, the message was clear again Monday evening: warnings in northwest Iowa can escalate fast, and the first minutes matter.