Omaha, Nebraska faced devastation as destructive tornadoes tore through homes, leaving communities grappling with the aftermath. The powerful storms that hit parts of the Plains and South on Friday afternoon left a trail of destruction in Elkhorn, Nebraska, with crews working tirelessly to search for trapped and injured individuals. Nearby in Iowa, the small city of Minden reported a large tornado, documented by the National Weather Service, showcasing extensive damage to structures and widespread debris.
The severe weather threat is anticipated to persist through Sunday, with Saturday looming as a particularly hazardous day. From Nebraska to Texas, including cities like Dallas, Austin, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Kansas City, and Wichita, the possibility of strong tornadoes remains high. A tornado watch has been issued for parts of western Oklahoma and northwest Texas until 1 p.m. Saturday, with forecasts of hail reaching the size of tennis balls, severe winds up to 70 mph, and an escalating tornado threat throughout the morning.
Significant damage has been reported in various areas, such as Iowa’s Pottawattamie County where four individuals sustained storm-related injuries and around 120 homes and businesses suffered damages. Meanwhile, in Nebraska’s Shelby and Douglas counties, although there were no injuries reported after multiple tornadoes hit the communities on Friday, significant property damage has been documented with some residents displaced.
The tornado’s impact was deeply felt at the outskirts of Lincoln, Nebraska, where homes were stripped of their roofs, and a train carrying multiple cars derailed after being struck by a tornado near Waverly. Governor Kim Reynolds of Iowa issued a disaster proclamation in response to the tornado’s landfall in Minden, providing support for recovery efforts in Pottawattamie County.
As the region braces for further severe weather, the likelihood of multiple strong tornadoes remains a looming threat, with concerns of extensive rainfall potentially triggering dangerous flash flooding. The Weather Prediction Center warned of a complex and significant severe weather episode expected for Saturday, particularly in the southern and central Plains, emphasizing the risk of widespread damaging wind gusts, large hail, and strong tornadoes as the primary hazards.
Moreover, the forecast indicates that heavy, flooding rainfall could exacerbate the situation, especially in parts of the Lower Mississippi Valley. As the region anticipates more damaging storms potentially stretching from Texas to Wisconsin on Sunday, the exact timing and extent of these storms will heavily depend on the developments from Saturday night’s severe weather events. Areas from northeastern Texas to southern Iowa and western Illinois face a heightened risk of damaging storms with the possibility of strong wind gusts, large hail, and isolated tornadoes.