For over a week, the United States has experienced a series of severe weather events, and Friday was no exception as large tornadoes tore through Nebraska.
Adam Lucio, a storm tracker, managed to capture video footage of a massive wedge tornado moving through open fields and farmland near Spalding, Nebraska, on Friday afternoon.
The National Weather Service (NWS) storm survey team later determined that the tornado had traveled approximately 13 miles across rural terrain between 2:25 and 2:42 p.m., causing sporadic damage to trees, power lines, and vehicles. Meteorologists estimated that the tornado had reached peak wind speeds of 105 mph, classifying it as an EF-1 tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
According to Lucio, the tornado was at least a quarter-mile wide and was tracked by multiple storm chasers in the area. In addition to the tornado near Spalding, there were reports of another tornado northwest of Omaha, which caused damage to a commercial cattle facility and resulted in several hundred cows being loose in Dodge County, Nebraska. Near Lyon, two individuals sustained injuries as tornadoes caused extensive damage to homes, including one that was shifted off its foundation.
The radar detected yet another large tornado near North Bend, Nebraska. Friday saw a record-breaking 50 tornado warnings issued in Nebraska, the highest number in a single day since at least 1998, according to Daryl Herzmann from Iowa State University’s Iowa Environmental Mesonet. Thankfully, power outages were limited to rural communities.
Looking ahead, the severe weather threat is expected to shift to south Texas on Saturday, with a secondary region along a warm front across Iowa. The forecast predicts the development of a few severe storms across parts of Iowa, gradually diminishing southeastward toward the lower Ohio Valley. The areas around Des Moines, Iowa, and South Texas have the greatest likelihood of experiencing severe storms, including damaging winds, large hail, and the possibility of tornadoes, although the risk is slightly lower compared to Friday’s storms.