A dangerous severe weather outbreak tore across the Plains and Upper Midwest on Sunday, spinning up tornadoes, hurling giant hail and knocking down power lines from Nebraska and South Dakota into Iowa and Minnesota. Storm trackers caught video and images of a large tornado moving across central Nebraska as warnings piled up through the evening.
Multiple tornado warnings, including a rare Tornado Emergency near Hebron, Nebraska, were issued as powerful supercells swept the region. Large hail up to 3.5 inches in diameter was reported in parts of Nebraska, while damaging winds knocked out power to thousands across portions of South Dakota near the Nebraska border. Reports also included damaged buildings, overturned campers and downed trees.
The storm threat did not stop at sunset. Tornado-warned storms pushed into the Omaha metro area and western Iowa overnight, and a tornado was caught crossing in front of a traffic camera along Interstate 29 near Salix, Iowa. The National Weather Service said a dangerous severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was moving northeast at 55 mph toward the Omaha area around 8:14 p.m. CT Sunday, with a history of producing tornadoes earlier near the Platte River northeast of Ashland.
That warning covered southeastern Omaha, Bellevue, Council Bluffs, Carter Lake and nearby communities through 9 p.m. CT. Forecasters said the storm could produce a tornado, quarter-size hail and damaging winds as it moved through one of the region's most populated corridors.
For people across Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota, the outbreak was not a one-night event but the opening round of a longer stretch of severe weather. Dangerous storms were expected to fire up again on Monday, and forecasters warned the setup could be even more dangerous across the central Plains. The Storm Prediction Center had already issued a rare Level 4 out of 5 risk for parts of Kansas and Nebraska, a signal that conditions may support strong, long-track tornadoes, giant hail and widespread damaging winds.
That is why the next day matters so much: the atmosphere is expected to reload fast, and Monday could bring another round of storms with the kind of strength that turns warnings into damage in minutes. The Weather Channel said it would keep tracking the severe weather threat around the clock as millions remained at risk again Monday.
