On Friday, disastrous tornadoes ripped across parts of eastern Nebraska and Iowa following a multiday severe thunderstorm event in the central US. Hundreds of homes and other structures were damaged in suburban Omaha - a city of 485,000 people - after the tornado ripped for miles along farmlands and then into subdivisions.
As of the publication of this article, there have been no reports of deaths related to the storm.
Among the multiple tornadoes, the National Weather Service confirmed a tornado north of Waverly, Nebraska that was moving to the northeast shortly after 3 PM local time, said a recent report. Officials urged those in the area to seek shelter immediately. Another tornado was also seen in the same county as the first, and was captured in a video posted to X (formerly Twitter).
The National Weather Service said it had received at least 42 reports of tornadoes at 6:30 ET, including Texas, as well as Nebraska and Iowa.
Since Thursday, at least three other tornadoes have been reported including; one near Bird City, Kansas, another in Wyoming, and a third near Akron, Colorado. Tornado warnings were put in place for an area near Interstate 80 between Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska State Patrol said.
Mayhem from the tornadoes and storms resulted in an overturned tractor-trailer that caused traffic in Nebraska. In Omaha, first responders searched through the debris of destroyed homes for anyone who may have been trapped or injured. The area, which borders Iowa, is still struggling with power outages, gas leaks, fallen trees, and unstable structures. Dozens of brand new, freshly built homes were also damaged, with at least six having been completely wrecked.
Multiple cars or a train also derailed in Lancaster County, Nebraska after it was hit by a tornado, a railway spokesperson said. Three people were also injured in the same area when a tornado hit an industrial building and caused it to collapse with 70 people still inside, though everyone was safely evacuated and the injuries were not life threatening, according to authorities.
More serious storms are expected to increase in intensity on Saturday, with storms causing frequent lightning, and severe wind gusts over the middle Mississippi Valley and the central and southern Plains. The severity of the storms on Saturday depend on Friday’s conditions. If the storm is still active in the morning hours, it will not be as destructive because it was not able to “recharge”.
The storm threat will extend from Michigan to Texas, including Oklahoma City, Kansas City, Dallas, Milwaukee, Chicago and Austin. Hail the size of baseballs, damaging winds, and more strong tornadoes are also possible.
A Level 3 of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms extends from Parts of Iowa and Nebraska south into northeast Texas on Friday, as the storm was forecasted to track east into Iowa and Missouri through the evening and into the overnight.
On Thursday, parts of Missouri were hit with heavy rain, prompting flash flood warnings in the Springfield area where more than half a month’s worth of rain reportedly fell. Heavy rainfall in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri could lead to possible flooding on Friday as well.
The rain could continue on Saturday as a “significant rainfall event” with some areas possibly receiving close to 5 inches or so of rain in a short period of time, with dangerous flash flooding as a result. Other areas could receive close to 8 inches of rain.