Footage shared online Wednesday showed what some described as a storm hitting Omaha, Nebraska, bringing in potentially Category 2 hurricane-strength winds.
An estimated 242,000 people woke up Thursday without power after the supercell hit Omaha area, according to the National Weather Service, which is about half of Omaha’s total population of roughly 480,000. The storm system brought in severe wind gusts reaching between 80 to 90 mph, close to a category 2 hurricane, KETV reported.
Footage shared and reposted online by legendary storm chaser Reed Timmer and others show the absolute carnage from the system. Timmer forecast the system before it hit Wednesday afternoon, explaining how the “major wind bag or monsoon” could easily sprout tornadoes as it made its way over the city.
Here is the incredible viewpoint of the mega shelf from the famous @convectedair Mike Lachendro in west Omaha as it was crossing the path of the EF4 from April 26: https://t.co/foJxOv1fcJ pic.twitter.com/XW7kWUqnrW
— Reed Timmer, PhD (@ReedTimmerUSA) August 1, 2024
Incredible mega shelf on the wind bag heading in to Omaha earlier https://t.co/B2HEriXEu8
— Reed Timmer, PhD (@ReedTimmerUSA) July 31, 2024
INTENSE destructive winds hammer Omaha with bow echo / wind bag! pic.twitter.com/AZ94xRGSzV
— Reed Timmer, PhD (@ReedTimmerUSA) July 31, 2024
Incredible!!! #Omaha #Nebraska is getting HAMMERED!!!@NWSOmaha @StormHour #newx #iawx pic.twitter.com/9RSUkdBLux
— Mobile Weather Office (@MobileWxOffice) July 31, 2024
55th and Hamilton pic.twitter.com/asYlWHcTqd
— nads (@ariesvenuslady) August 1, 2024
Just finished rebuilding my fence a week ago 😅 pic.twitter.com/no6aibEqv3
— . (@tsims773) August 1, 2024
At least one tornado was said to touch down near Council Bluffs Airport, KETV stated, though it can often take several days for tornadoes to be confirmed. (RELATED: ‘Twisters IRL’ Trailer Will Make Time Stand Still Around You)
“This is the worst that it’s ever been. I mean, we usually, you know, lose a few branches during a storm … It looks like, I don’t know, the war zone — it’s more severe than I thought,” locals William and Bette McCoy told WOWT following the storm, which ripped out their power lines from the back of their home and smashed their car.
Residents were told to limit their water use throughout the storm, particularly Lincoln residents, as city wells were reportedly hit by the carnage.