July 20, 2026 - Tornado Track Update

UPDATE - Severe Storm Event on July 20th, 2026. Utilizing drone footage provided by local emergency management and the public, alongside high-resolution satellite imagery, we have confirmed two additional tornado tracks and extended one previously released track.

Below is a summary of the latest findings: Track Extension (Austinville Area): The previously released track northwest of Austinville has been extended further to the northwest, reflecting an earlier initial touchdown time.

New Track 1: West of Aplington • Rating: EF-1 (Estimated peak winds of 100 mph) • Path: Touched down ~1 mile west of Aplington. Moved south between F Ave and G Ave before turning sharply east between 110th St and 120th St. Crossed H Ave and lifted just south of 120th St. Path length - 4.5 miles (intermittent; mixed with thunderstorm winds)
• Impacts: Caused structural damage to farm outbuildings (primary basis for EF-1 rating) as well as crop damage (corn/soybeans).

New Track 2: South of Aplington • Rating: EF-Unknown • Path: Touched down concurrent with Track 1, approximately 4.5 miles south of Aplington near the intersection of H Ave & 130th St. Moved southeast for ~2 miles before lifting south of 140th St.
• Impacts: Tracked primarily through corn and soybean fields. Given the lack of structural damage indicators along the path, an EF rating cannot be determined.

These changes have all been updated in the the NWS Damage Assessment Viewer - https://apps.dat.noaa.gov/stormdamage/damageviewer/

Thank you to our emergency management and public partners for providing critical drone footage to assist the storm assessment. Please reach out if you have any questions or require additional details for local briefings or reporting.