Tornado hits Lake McConaughy; trees damaged in Lincoln by overnight storms (2024)

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  • Matt Olberding
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Tornado hits Lake McConaughy; trees damaged in Lincoln by overnight storms (1)

A tornado touched down Thursday night at Lake McConaughy, causing significant damage and at least one injury.

The National Weather Service Office in North Platte, citing reports from a local fire department, said a tornado hit the north shore of the lake, destroying 22 buildings, including homes, and damaging 39 more.

The weather service also said there were numerous trees and power lines down, and a few people had to be rescued from the basements of their homes.

Keith County Emergency Manager David Kling said there was a possible injury from the storm in the Sandy Beach Terrace neighborhood. The man was transported to Sidney Regional Medical Center for treatment.

Despite the damage, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission said Friday that all areas of the lake remain open and all campsites are still available.

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The commission said in a news release that crews will be working all weekend to remove downed trees from the north shore and that beach access will be limited because some areas washed out in the storm.

There also was a report of a tornado near Trenton in Hitchcock County that damaged trees and power poles and also tore the roof off of the grandstand at a football field.

The office said there were as many as nine tornadoes that touched down in central and western Nebraska, and it had survey teams out investigating the damage Friday.

Elsewhere in the state, high winds from what the Weather Service said was a derecho, caused extensive damage to trees, power poles and some structures.

There were numerous reports of wind gusts reaching 60-80 miles per hour in eastern Nebraska.

Tornado hits Lake McConaughy; trees damaged in Lincoln by overnight storms (2)

In Lancaster County, a wind gust of 60 mph was recorded near Pleasant Dale, while a gust of 66 mph was recorded near Milford in Seward County.

Winds brought down numerous trees and large tree limbs in Lincoln, causing power outages, blocking streets and in some cases damaging homes.

Jodi Holloway said a tree fell on her home near 45th and High streets in southeast Lincoln, taking out a corner of her roof and punching a hole in her living room ceiling. The tree also demolished her deck.

Holloway said she and her husband were awakened about 2 a.m. by sirens and were awake when the tree toppled about five minutes later.

"It sounded like a train whistle and all of a sudden here come's the branches through our ceiling," she said.

Holloway said she has lived in Lincoln since 1986 and has never experienced anything like Friday morning's destruction, but she still feels lucky.

"We're all OK, so it's good," she said

At one point early Friday morning, Lincoln Electric System reported nearly 5,000 people were without power, but power had been restored to everyone by Friday afternoon.

The Omaha Public Power District reported about 2,300 people still without power as of 5 p.m., most of them in Sarpy and Washington counties. At one point, more than 17,000 OPPD customers were without power.

LES said Friday afternoon that it had sent three crews to the Omaha area to help restore power.

The overnight storm system produced 14 tornado warnings across 38 eastern Nebraska and southwest Iowa counties.

The storms produced small, radar-indicated “spin-up” tornadoes that caused the National Weather Service Office in Valley to issue warnings. Spin-up tornadoes, said Becky Kern, a warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service, are very small, tight-circulating tornadoes that can cause tornadic damage to trees and power lines over a very narrow area.

Kern said one spin-up tornado went across southern Saunders County toward Ashland and crossed Interstate 80 south of Gretna. The tornado then went toward Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue before it finally ended southeast of Offutt near Glenwood, Iowa.

City of Lincoln officials reminded people to call the Lincoln Police Department's non-emergency number, 402-441-6000, for trees blocking streets or sidewalks and the Parks and Recreation Community Forestry Section at 402-441-7847, ext. 0, for damage to public trees between the curb and sidewalk.

Tornado hits Lake McConaughy; trees damaged in Lincoln by overnight storms (3)

Residents also can report damage to street trees at UPLNK.lincoln.ne.gov or by using the UPLNK app.

Tree debris on private property is the responsibility of the property owner.

Heavy downpours accompanied the high winds, and many areas that were hit with several inches of rain earlier in the week, causing serious flooding, got more rain Thursday night and Friday morning.

Omaha got another 0.82 inches, on top of the more than 5 inches it received Tuesday, while Wahoo, which received around 6 inches Tuesday, got just over half an inch.

Lincoln, which missed out on Tuesday's deluge, got 0.78 inches early Friday morning.

The Omaha World-Herald and North Platte Telegraphcontributed to this story.

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Tornado hits Lake McConaughy; trees damaged in Lincoln by overnight storms (4)

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Tornado hits Lake McConaughy; trees damaged in Lincoln by overnight storms (52)

Reach the writer at 402-473-2647 or molberding@journalstar.com.

On Twitter @LincolnBizBuzz.

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Tornado hits Lake McConaughy; trees damaged in Lincoln by overnight storms (2024)

FAQs

What happens to trees in a tornado? ›

Storms can uproot trees, cause plant material to fall on other plant material, break or crack branches, etc. which reduce the lifespan, pest susceptibility, and vigor of the plant. young (from 3 to 4 years after planting up to 10 to 15 years of age) so tree develops a strong branching pattern.

Can tornadoes uproot trees? ›

Tornado damage often has a chaotic appearance, with larger uprooted trees often crossing each other. We often look at larger uproots of trees to get a true idea of where the wind was blowing from.

Do tornadoes destroy forests? ›

Tornadoes can devastate woodlands—not just because of their powerful winds, but also because of the flooding and large hail that can accompany them. Some of the more common injuries your trees can sustain in a tornado are: Breakage.

Which scenario describes the damage caused by a tornado brainly? ›

The answer is a path of destruction up to 50 miles long with destroyed trees and homes. Tornadoes form from severe thunderstorms.

What to do with a tree that was damaged in a storm? ›

Remove any broken branches still attached to the tree.

Smaller branches should be pruned at the point where they join larger ones. Large branches that are broken should be cut back to the trunk or a main limb by an arborist.

Why do trees fall after a storm? ›

The most common contributors to trees falling over during high winds are soggy soil and a compromised root system. Aside from a few broken branches, most healthy trees can weather brief periods of high winds and heavy rain from thunderstorms.

What does a tornado sound like before it hits? ›

It begins with the rustling of leaves, sinister squeak of hinges and the creak of nearby trees. Then comes a deafening rumble like an approaching freight train, the terrifying screech of nails being ripped from wooden boards and unpredictable thuds from flying debris.

Can a tornado back build? ›

Tornadoes do not back-build. Back-building occurs within clusters of thunderstorms as thunderstorms continue to initiate upwind of the storm (or behind it). This is due to weak mid-level winds that can steer storms.

What tornado destroyed the most? ›

The deadliest: The Tri-State Tornado (March 8, 1925)

The tornado was approximately . 75 miles wide and traveled a staggering 219 (newer research suggests it had a continual path of at least 174 miles) at a 59 mph pace. It caused 695 fatalities and destroyed more than 15,000 homes.

Do trees protect your house from tornadoes? ›

Slowing wind speed

Trees, even just one or two, can significantly help break up high winds around your home, further minimizing the potential damage that extreme winds can cause.

Are tornadoes the worst natural disaster? ›

Even though winds from the strongest tornadoes far exceed that from the strongest hurricanes, hurricanes typically cause much more damage individually and over a season, and over far bigger areas. Economically, tornadoes cause about a tenth as much damage per year, on average, as hurricanes.

What is the greatest danger what causes most deaths from a tornado? ›

Flying debris causes most deaths and injuries during a tornado.

What part of a tornado causes the most damage? ›

The biggest tornado threat to human beings is from flying debris in the wind. It is important to note that straight-line winds from a thunderstorm can do damage similar to an F0 or F1 tornado.

Can you hide in a closet during a tornado? ›

In a house with no basement, a dorm, or an apartment: Avoid windows. Go to the lowest floor, small center room (like a bathroom or closet), under a stairwell, or in an interior hallway with no windows. Crouch as low as possible to the floor, facing down; and cover your head with your hands.

What gets destroyed in a tornado? ›

Tornadoes can destroy buildings and trees and disrupt transportation, power, water, gas, and other services.

How do trees survive storms? ›

Inside of a forest, the main way trees withstand heavy wind loads is by colliding with nearby trees, explains Rudnicki. Trees also streamline – adapt their shape to the wind flow and effectively have a smaller sail – reducing the wind force that is applied and thus decreasing their risk of falling.

Do tornadoes destroy crops? ›

A tornado can cause a smaller seasonal yield on cash crops, livestock, and other products, sinking the farm's overall profits.

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