GREENFIELD, Iowa — A storm system that left destruction from Nebraska to Wisconsin on Tuesday left multiple people dead in Iowa, state police confirmed.
At around 4 p.m. the small town of Greenfield was directly hit by a tornado that leveled homes and buildings.
The Adams County Sheriff’s Office said a woman died Tuesday when her vehicle was blown off the road during the storms about 3 miles north of Corning, Iowa, or about 30 miles southwest of Greenfield, where the tornado left a wide swath of obliterated homes and crumpled cars.
The woman’s name and age were not immediately released. She was the only occupant in the vehicle.
Officials did not immediately give details Wednesday morning of other deaths or injuries, saying they were still conducting search-and-rescue operations.
It remains unclear how many people are dead or hurt. Crews are still clearing debris.
Drone footage of tornado damage in Greenfield, Iowa on Tuesday, May 21. (WHO) 
Water pours out of a parking lot onto the ground in Omaha, Neb. on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. (Chris Machian /Omaha World-Herald via AP) 
This image provided by JJ Unger, shows hail surrounding a vehicle, Monday night, May 20, 2024, in Yuma, Colo. Residents in the small city in northeastern Colorado were cleaning up Tuesday after hail the size of baseballs and golf balls pounded the community, with heavy construction equipment and snow shovels being used to clear hail that had piled up knee-deep the night before. (JJ Unger via AP) 
This image taken from video provided by JJ Unger, shows hail damage to a window of vehicle, Monday night, May 20, 2024, in Yuma, Colo. Residents in the small city in northeastern Colorado were cleaning up Tuesday after hail the size of baseballs and golf balls pounded the community, with heavy construction equipment and snow shovels being used to clear hail that had piled up knee-deep the night before. (JJ Unger via AP) 
Damage is seen after a tornado moved through Greenfield, Iowa, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Hannah Fingerhut) 
The remains of a tornado-damaged wind turbine touch the ground in a field, Tuesday, May 21, 2024, near Prescott, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) 
The remains of a tornado-damaged wind turbine touch the ground in a field, Tuesday, May 21, 2024, near Prescott, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) 
The remains of a tornado-damaged wind turbine touch the ground in a field, Tuesday, May 21, 2024, near Prescott, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) 
Workers stand near a home destroyed by a tornado Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Greenfield, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) 
Workers search through the remains of tornado-damaged homes, Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Greenfield, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) 
Workers search through the remains of tornado-damaged homes, Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Greenfield, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) 
Workers search through the remains of tornado-damaged property, Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Greenfield, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) 
Workers search through the remains of tornado-damaged property, Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Greenfield, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) 
A man sorts through the remains of a home damaged by a tornado Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Greenfield, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) 
People sort through the remains of a home damaged by a tornado Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Greenfield, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) 
A woman and a child walk past damage after a tornado Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Greenfield, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) 
People walk down a street past damage after a tornado Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Greenfield, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) 
A firefighter walks among tornado-damaged homes, Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Greenfield, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) 
Brian Gutmann, of Creston, Iowa, looks over tornado-damaged property, Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Greenfield, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) 
Firefighters walks among tornado-damaged homes, Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Greenfield, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) 
A firefighter walks among homes destroyed by a tornado Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Greenfield, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) 
Damaged cars sit piled up next to a road after a tornado Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Greenfield, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) 
Tornado damaged property is seen, Wednesday, May 22, 2024, in Greenfield, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) 
Tornado damaged property is seen, Wednesday, May 22, 2024, in Greenfield, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
At least 20 tornadoes were reported Tuesday in Iowa, along with one in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Wind gusts in Iowa reached 100 mph, which equates to a Category 2 hurricane. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a disaster emergency for 15 counties.
Sgt. Alex Dinkla with the Iowa State Patrol said the Adair County Memorial Hospital in Greenfield, 60 miles southwest of Des Moines, also sustained tornado damage, resulting in patients being transported to nearby hospitals for treatment.
The town has been blocked off from nonresidents to allow emergency responders to continue the recovery efforts. A curfew will also be set for residents from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. for the foreseeable future.
Dinkla said emergency crews have conducted several searches and everyone is believed to be accounted for, but anyone who is unable to reach family or friends in Greenfield can contact the Iowa Department of Public Safety Storm Lake State Radio Communications Center at 712-732-1341 for assistance.
Dinkla said he expects to release more information about the tornado and recovery efforts Wednesday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
