High winds topple trees throughout New Prague

Residents in New Prague and southern Scott County got an early wakeup call Friday, June 24, when a severe thunderstorm made its way through the area.

Warning sirens sounded in New Prague about 6:15 a.m., and already by that time, high winds, with gusts estimated at 70 miles per hour, were jostling trees throughout the city. Within five minutes, torrential rains began pouring down on the community, continuing for about 15 minutes.

By the time the storm ended, shortly before 7 a.m, trees and tree limbs were down throughout the community, with some trees entirely uprooted and many more limbs scattered on lawns, houses and vehicles.

There was some structural damage to homes where large trees had fallen. In addition, the high winds destroyed a dugout at the New Prague High School softball field, lifting it up and depositing it on top of a storage shed directly behind the dugout.

For the full storm story and photos see this week’s edition of The Times.