Category Archives: Tama County

Both old as in “Old Highway 30”, and as in “old motel”. The Budget Inn, itself built on the 1954 realignment of 30 from Tama to Montour, was a victim of the bypass opening in 2010. A company is interested … Continue reading →

President Obama notified the governor’s office Aug. 5. The Tama News-Herald/Toledo Chronicle website notes the declaration is “in response to significant damage that was caused by severe weather that produced damaging winds, tornadoes, heavy rains, hail, and thunderstorms beginning June 26 … Continue reading →

The centennial celebration of the Meskwaki (Mesquakie) Indian Powwow on the settlement west of Tama starts today and goes through this weekend.

July 7, 2013: The backside of the “Vitame Vas do Chelsea” welcome sign is friendly, too. The white pickup can turn right on V18 or go straight ahead on the Lincoln Highway. Chelsea, the often-flood-beleaguered Tama County stop on the … Continue reading →

For the first time in decades, Tama County has (sort of) paved a new rural road. County Road T69, L Avenue, runs north-south just west of Dinsdale. It comes south from IA 175 as paved, but that stopped at the … Continue reading →

I know it doesn’t look great, but the NWS used two mapping services and I had to play with sizing. The slightly darker black line running north-south and then along the bottom left of the map is US 63. The … Continue reading →

Full notification due after my earlier post. Tama County received both the disaster emergency and Iowa Individual Assistance Program qualification. Benton County only received the former.

This is very interesting. Despite an EF2 tornado chewing up part of Traer with tree damage throughout town, and severe flooding on the Iowa River bad enough to close US 63 and swamp Chelsea (again), the list on the Iowa … Continue reading →

The National Weather Service makes quick work of storm damage surveys. It has a combined report for the July 6 Reinbeck and Traer tornadoes*, both rated EF1. I was going to make a composite map with the June 30 track, … Continue reading →

July 6, 2014: A small tornado in Tama County was visible from the Morrison farm. The debris in the foreground is from a different tornado that hit Monday. Photo by Judy Morrison. The Traer area just had tornadoes roll through again. … Continue reading →