Towering Over Us

The edge of a violent storm system looms behind the Nashua, Iowa water tower at 6:45 PM on May 25, 2008. The storm system was actually retreating from this location, which looks southeast from the local Casey's convenience store on Amherst Boulevard. An hour earlier, sirens prompted Casey's employees and patrons alike to go under cover here. The storm system did its worst stuff after 5:00 PM when an EF5 tornado formed in its highly unstable mix then plowed through the towns of Parkersburg and New Hartford about 30 miles to the southwest of Nashua. Nashua is located in the northeastern part of the state, at the junction of US highways 18 and 218, southeast of Charles City.