A wind farm in southwest Iowa suffered a direct hit from a powerful tornado that crumpled five of the massive power-producing towers, including one that burst into flames.
The remains of a tornado-damaged wind turbine touch the ground in a field, Tuesday, May 21, 2024, near Prescott, Iowa. – A wind farm in southwest Iowa suffered a direct hit from a powerful tornado that crumpled five of the massive, power-producing towers, including one that burst into flames. But experts say fortunately such incidents are rare.
Although requirements vary from state to state about how far turbines must be located from other structures, Ryan said the giant turbines are not placed directly next to homes and other occupied structures. Wind turbines are built to withstand high wind speeds and severe weather, like tornadoes, hurricanes and lightning strikes, but few structures are designed to withstand a direct hit from a powerful tornado, said Sri Sritharan, an engineering professor at Iowa State University who has studied the impact of earthquakes and severe weather on structures.
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