Tornadoes confirmed in Nebraska from Tuesday evening’s storms

UPDATE – 4:05 a.m. Friday:

The Omaha NWS office surveyed the damage on Thursday four miles northeast of Bennington near the Douglas-Washington county line and concluded that a tornado did not occur in that area. The damage was likely due to a straight-line wind gust, potentially enhanced by a gustnado.

A gustnado is a whirlwind that develops along the leading edge of rain-cooled air spreading out from a storm. This is unlike a tornado which is a circulation connected to a thunderstorm or rotating wall cloud.

ORIGINAL STORY:

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The National Weather Service has confirmed at least two tornadoes in Nebraska from Tuesday evening’s storms.

One tornado touched down in Seward County, and the other tornado tracked through Otoe County, in Unadilla.

The NWS conducts field surveys in the days following a severe weather event to confirm whether a tornado occurred and to determine the strength if one did happen. The damage produced determines the peak intensity of a tornado.

The tornado in Seward County did not produce any damage, so the NWS cannot determine its peak intensity. Video evidence confirms that the tornado occurred.

The tornado developed and moved near O Street in a region between 378th and 392nd roads in Seward County around 6:43 p.m. Tuesday.

The Unadilla tornado was short-lived, on the ground for around one minute and about 0.1 miles. The tornado was rated an EF-1, with peak winds near 100mph.

The NWS noted damage to trees, shingles, siding and gutters, and broken windows in the damage survey.

You can view some of the photos from the NWS storm survey in Unadilla below:

The Omaha NWS office said on its Facebook page that there is some damage near Bennington in Douglas County that they will need to investigate on Thursday.

This is a developing story. Stick with Channel 8 for any updates.