3 weeks ago
April 26 (UPI) -- Tornadoes ripped done eastbound Nebraska and bluish Texas Friday, and upwind officials said much is coming this play for nan Plains region.
The National Weather Service successful Omaha/Valley early Friday day issued a tornado watch until 7 p.m. for each of cardinal and eastbound Nebraska including Omaha, Lincoln and Grand Island.
In conscionable a fewer hours, tornado warnings extended to astir 50,000 group successful nan eastbound half of nan state.
One tornado churning done Lincoln flipped a semi-trailer onto I-80 northeast of nan city, slowing postulation to a crawl.
By astir 4:30 p.m. CDT, first responders reported awesome damage, pinch respective houses destroyed and aggregate group trapped successful their basements extracurricular of Omaha and successful Washington County.
Several tornados deed nan Omaha metro area astatine astir 5:15 p.m. CDT.
Eppley Airfield unopen down aft a tornado damaged nan eastbound broadside of nan airfield wherever nan wide aviation area is, according to Omaha Airport Authority Chief Information Officer Steve McCoy.
"We're still doing harm assessment," McCoy said. "The terminal is comparatively unaffected. But nan airdrome is closed while we do harm assessment. We dream to reopen soon."
Tornado warnings for many areas of Nebraska and Iowa were group to assistance by 6 p.m CDT.
Flash flood warnings also are successful effect for Omaha and Bellevue until 8 p.m.
At slightest 2 tornadoes touched down successful Texas Friday day aft terrible thunderstorms that morning.
Video of nan cyclone posted to X showed it cutting done a ample section eastbound of Waco.
The National Weather Service Fort Worth/Dallas issued tornado warnings for Canton, Grand Saline and Van until 5:15 p.m. CDT. A terrible thunderstorm informing was successful effect for Kaufman, Canton and Wills Point until 5:30 pm.
Several cities, including, Dallas; Omaha; Kansas City, Mo.; and Des Moines, Iowa, tin expect aggregate rounds of terrible thunderstorms done Sunday.
The quickly processing storms prompted nan Storm Prediction Center to grow a Level 3 of 5 consequence successful Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri to see Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas by Friday afternoon.
Saturday could beryllium moreover much vulnerable depending connected really Friday night's storms style up. More than 55 cardinal Americans from Texas to Michigan could consciousness their effects, including Austin, Dallas, Oklahoma City, Kansas City, Chicago and Milwaukee.
"A analyzable but perchance important terrible upwind section is expected connected Saturday," nan the Storm Prediction Center said Friday.
A Level 3 of 4 consequence of excessive rainfall is successful spot for Oklahoma City and Tulsa, arsenic good arsenic parts of Texas and Kansas.
Heavy rainfall and flooding is imaginable connected Sunday, particularly successful nan Lower Mississippi Valley.
Springtime often intends tornado play for nan Plains and parts of nan Midwest, arsenic moist aerial from nan Gulf of Mexico flows into nan cardinal United States and heats up nan region, priming nan ambiance for terrible storms.
