At least 63 reports of sighted tornadoes or tornado damage have been received so far from the area. At least five significant tornado paths have been identified, with more details to come as damage is surveyed in the days ahead.
The first tornado to be seen was moving toward Lincoln Nebraska around 2:40 pm with a large supercell thunderstorm. This tornado quickly intensified right along Highway 6 in northeast Lincoln and crossed I-80 at the intersection of Highway 6 and I-80. Several industrial buildings were severely damaged and cars were even flipped on I-80. The tornado continues through northeast Lancaster County, passing west of Waverly, Greenwood, and Ashland before dissipating in Saunders County.
After briefly lifting, this same storm then developed a new tornado south of Yutan in Saunders County, which quickly crossed the Platte River into Douglas County and the far southwest side of Omaha. The tornado increased in strength becoming a very destructive storm as it crossed Center Road near the intersection of Highway 275 and then moved north toward West Dodge and River Road Drive. This powerful tornado continued into Elkhorn which ended up causing so much damage with numerous homes being severely damaged or destroyed. This tornado remained on the ground through Elkhorn and moved to the northeast toward Bennington which is just passing west of the town.
The circulation continued to intensify as it moved through southcentral Washington County, passing just south of Kennard and just north of the Blair Airport. The tornado pushed right up to the Blair city limits before crossing the Missouri River into Iowa and finally dissipating. While it is early, a rough estimate based on radar and reports would suggest this tornado was on the ground for around 40 minutes.
Another tornado developed right near downtown Omaha just before 5 pm. This tornado developed right next to Eppley Airfield, damaging parts of the airport which forced a temporary closure. Fortunately, the airport is back open even though several buildings were damaged. The tornado then quickly crossed the Missouri River into Iowa and crossed I-29 north of Council Bluffs. The circulation made a direct line toward one of our city cams before the connection was lost due to the damage in the area. The tornado then continued across northwestern Pottawattamie County, passing just east of Crescent, and then crossing I-880 near Beebeetown. IA with reports of damage. The tornado is now in central Harrison County.
After all of this tragic mess, there was at least 4 people who passed away due to this tornado. “I’ve seen a lot of damage. But what I saw in downtown Sulphur – it’s unbelievable. It seems like every business in downtown has been destroyed,” he said, according to KOSU. One hundred injuries have been reported by hospitals in the state, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Health. At least 30 people were injured in Sulphur, KOCO reported. The Hughes County, Okla., EMS agency said Sunday morning that it was treating four people for injuries, three of which were major. Love County Sheriff Andy Cumberledge confirmed in a press conference that a truck driver who was passing through the county was also killed.
