Gazette Daily News Briefing, April 3

This is John McGlothlen with The Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Monday, April 3rd.

According to the National Weather Service, today we’ll have a 30 percent chance of rain after 2 p.m., partly sunny, with a high near 58. Winds from the northeast 5 to 10 mph. Tonight: A chance of rain and thunderstorms before 11 p.m., then a chance of showers, mainly between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. Cloudy, with a low around 44.

At least one of the tornadoes that ripped across Iowa Friday afternoon has been classified as an EF-4, the second-highest rating available on the scale that’s used to measure the storms. The National Weather Service’s Quad Cities bureau reported Sunday that preliminary assessments of damage from the March 31 storm system indicate multiple tornadoes touched down. The most significant of the tornadoes assessed so far was an EF-4 that tracked from Keokuk County into Washington and Johnson counties from 3:48 to 4:37 p.m. Friday. Its estimated peak winds were 170 miles per hour and its maximum width was 600 yards. The assessment reports that several houses were damaged, including one that was wiped “completely off its foundation.” Trees were “completely debarked,” a car was tossed 1,000 feet into a field, and a 325-foot cellphone tower was toppled. Three people were injured. Two additional tornadoes have been confirmed in Johnson County. The storm that passed through Coralville between 4:42 and 4:57 p.m. received a preliminary rating of EF-2 with wind speeds of up to 120 miles per hour. The Coralville tornado damaged a warehouse near Highway 6 and flipped several trailers and a truck. The path of the tornado — which was on the ground for about 75 yards — tore into a residential area. At least two injuries were reported. The second confirmed Johnson County tornado began southwest of Hills just before 5 p.m.. The greatest damage was to homes on the west side of town, where “roofs were completely torn off, siding removed from several homes and a large outbuilding destroyed.” The National Weather Service notes several trees were also snapped. The Hills tornado packed maximum wind speeds of 120 miles per hour. At its largest, it was 50 yards across, and it stayed on the ground for 8.8 miles, according to preliminary assessments. As of Sunday afternoon, the National Weather Service had reported five other tornadoes during the Friday outbreak. They were in Des Moines, Jackson, Clinton and Cedar counties, and preliminary assessments report they were between EF-0 and EF-2 on the classification scale. In all, there were at least 11 injuries reported as a result of the storms. Damage assessments are expected to take several days.

Even Caitlin Clark couldn't stop LSU's offensive juggernaut in the March Madness finale. The Tigers won the first championship in program history with a brilliant offensive performance, beating Iowa 102-85 in the NCAA Tournament women's title game on Sunday. Jasmine Carson scored 22 points off the bench — including 21 points in a first-half blitz that featured five 3-pointers — Alexis Morris added 21 and the Tigers shot 54% from the field. Iowa's Clark, who was named The Associated Press women’s basketball Player of the Year, had 30 points and eight assists to wrap up a stellar season, but it wasn't enough to lead the Hawkeyes to the first title. Clark set an NCAA Tournament record with 191 points over six games, topping the record set by Sheryl Swoopes in 1993.

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🎹 Podcast music: “Journey” by Emily McGlothlen