15 Tornadoes Confirmed Across Eastern Nebraska From Friday’s Storms

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Severe storms ripped across eastern Nebraska on Friday afternoon leaving behind damage to several communities. Storms produced hail up to the size of grapefruit, damaging winds, and several large tornadoes.

Monday, new tornado track information and images for northeastern Nebraska became available.

The most notable storm developed in northern Saunders County, just north of Wahoo, and tracked through Dodge County into Burt County, narrowly missing North Bend before crossing Highway 275 between Scribner and Hooper and then passing just west of Uehling and Oakland before dissipating west of Lyons. This storm produced several large tornadoes and left behind significant damage to several farmsteads and and severely damaged a pig farm.

The first tornado develop between North Bend and Ames just north of the Platte River, and track north into central Dodge County, damaging farm buildings and equipment along a 5.5 mile track. A second brief tornado then develop southwest of Hooper near the Scriber Airport damaging a barn and farm equipment along a 2.5 mile track. A stronger tornado then quickly developed just before Highway 275 between Scribner and Hooper, tracking northeast for 10 miles and damaging several homes, barns, and farm equipment along the way.

The same storm then went on to produced two tornadoes in Burt County, just to the west of Highway 77. A large tornado developed just southwest of Oakland and paralleled Highway 77 moving north for just over 11 miles before dissipating west of Lyons. This tornado damaged several homes and barns as well as destroying farm equipment. 2 people were injured by this tornado. A second smaller satellite tornado developed on the fringe of the main tornado just west of Uehling. This tornado was unique in that is was spinning in an anti-cyclonic fashion, or the reverse direction that we normally see in the United States. The tornado was on the ground for 1 mile damaging farm equipment.

The National Weather Service out of Omaha has surveyed the damage across the state. Preliminary reports indicate that this storm produced as many as 5 tornadoes along the track ranging in strength from EF-0 to EF-2, meaning wind speeds up to 135mph. There are some indications that a multi-vortex tornado was present at times as well. The NWS will continue to work through the data and will send out additional information in the coming days. Several homes and farms were damaged, with some buildings totally destroyed.

Elsewhere, at least 5 additional EF-1 tornadoes and 2 tornadoes of unknown strength were confirmed in portions of Stanton, Colfax, Platte, Madison, Pierce, and Boone counties. The strongest tornado affecting eastern Boone County with wind speeds up to 110mph. Three tornadoes touched down in Stanton County, the largest with a nearly 9 mile track and wind speeds up to 107mph. The twister damaged a home and farm equipment along its path. The two other tornados had wind speeds between 88 and 105mph, destroying a hog farm and damaging farm equipment.

There was also an area of 70mph downburst winds near Pilger, NE. This marks a total of 12 tornadoes across eastern Nebraska that have been confirmed so far. Additional storm surveys will be conducted across southeast Nebraska and may reveal additional storm tracks.

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