An EF3 tornado skirted past about one-half mile west of Yuma, but the rural home of Clint and Amanda Monk was not spared from the twister, Tuesday afternoon.
There was significant damage to the residence, located about 1-1/2 miles south of Yuma on County Road E. Multiple power lines were toppled along Road E, as well as along County Road 37 just one mile south of town. There might have been more damage elsewhere, though the Pioneer was unable to assess the full extent before press time.
Fortunately, there have been no reports of injuries from Tuesday’s harrowing experience.
A second tornado also was confirmed to have touched down in the area.
Alerts started blaring on smartphones a little after 4:30 p.m., and the town’s tornado sirens roared. That sent people scrambling for cover — or maybe first hurrying outside with their smartphones for pictures and videos as the tornado swept north to south, in clear view of many. There are numerous great photos and videos of the tornado on social media.
It is likely as close as a tornado has been to Yuma in decades. There were reports of a second tornado also forming.
The storm was accompanied by torrential rainfall and hail. The north side of Yuma was hit by hail ping pong ball size or bigger. Further south there was some big hail early, but it was mostly smaller when it came down heavily. There were no electrical outages within Yuma, though city crews were clearing debris from clogged drainage areas. Plus, Lake Yuma, the town’s main runoff pond, was as full as it has been in years.
Plus, it began raining again around midnight, and rained for much of the early morning until about 6:30 a.m., though it was a light rainfall. As of now, the extended weather forecast shows little chance of rain over the next few days at least.
The Pioneer hopes to have more on the aftermath of the Tuesday tornado in next week’s edition.
Came back towards town, destroyed bins
Tuesday Tornado update: It seems after unfortunately destroying the Clint and Amanda Monk Family’s home and outbuildings, the tornado reversed course and headed northeast, destroying the Ringlein Family’s bins on Road 37, just one-half mile south of Yuma. 
The debris field from the bins heads right toward the Birch/Cedar Circle neighborhood, S Ash and Yuma High School area. The tornado apparently broke apart after hitting the bins and before it hit residential neighborhoods.
Meterologist Reed Timmer’s post of the path shows its switch in direction back toward Yuma.