NWS confirms 12 tornadoes spawn from Friday’s storms
UPDATE: From Friday’s severe storms, the National Weather Service has confirmed a dozen tornadoes in the state. This information coming from their offices in North Platte, Hastings and Goodland, KS.
The strongest tornado was rated an EF3 and touched down 8 miles northeast of Stockville in Frontier County. NWS says it was on the ground for 2.12 miles and was 400 yards wide. Two buildings were destroyed and multiple structures were damaged. Peak wind speeds reached 158 mph. The tornado’s path is shown by the #3 track in the picture below.
The NWS says the tornado spotted near McCook did some of the worst damage. It was rated an EF2 with peak wind speeds of 120 mph. Experts say it was on the ground for 6 miles and was 350 yards wide. The tornado caused extensive damage to a farm house and destroyed 6 grain bins and 5 farm outbuildings. The track of the tornado is shown in the picture below.
Another tornado to note in the outbreak was spotted near Cozad in Dawson County. The National Weather Service says the EF1 was on the ground for an incredible 10.17 miles. They say this tornado was spotted by many people because of the long track, but luckily, it stayed in rural areas. The tornado flipped over pivots, damaged trees and destroyed a shed.
Out of the rest of the tornadoes not already mentioned, one was determined to be an EF2, two were rated as an EF1 and six were considered to be an EF0. The damage reported with these tornadoes included snapped power poles, hay bales rolled into ditches, flipped pivots and damaged trees.
Thankfully, no injuries were reported with any of the tornadoes.
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Friday night was very active with tornadoes breaking out in several areas across the state.
At least three of them were confirmed by the National Weather Service, but some storm chasers said they saw as many as eight.
It all started around 6 p.m. in southwest Nebraska. The storm system did not let up, spawning more tornadoes as it worked its way into central Nebraska.
A tornado that touched down near McCook stayed on the ground for quite awhile. The only reported damage so far is a farm house.
An elderly couple was home at the time and rode out the storm in a bedroom. Both are okay and they walked away with a few scratches and bruises.
Other tornadoes touched down near Farnam and Broken Bow. Some houses may have damage, but there haven’t been reports of any injuries.
Storm chasers from across the country came to Nebraska Friday night to witness the tornadoes. So far, none of them have been rated according to their strength.
