warren has that story. >> reporter: a quarter mile wide twister tore through western iowa. storm chaser andrew gabrielle son was right in its path. >> it happened so fast. we blew out the back window. we had a dust swirl. before we knew it, we had a full-blown large tornado on the ground are. >> reporter: with winds up to 165 miles an hour, the tornado plowed through the small town of maple ton injuring 14 people, uprooting hundred-year-old trees and virtually flattening 12 city blocks. the violent storm comes after days of summer-like heat in some parts of the country, while many others saw unusual cold. >> this time of year we often see these huge temperature swings driven by a jet stream that is moving from the winter mode into the summer mode. the battle between the warm and the cold is what's helping to fuel these severe storms. >> reporter: a separate system tore through the southeast bringing golf ball-sized hail to