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Central U.S. Tornado Outbreak
Status: Monitoring
| Type of posting | Posting date(EST): | Summary | Downloads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Event Summary | 4/29/2024 8:00:00 AM |
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Event Summary | Summary
Posting Date: April 29, 2024, 8:00:00 AM
A severe weather outbreak across the central United States caused widespread tornado, wind, and hail damage across a dozen states, killing five people and injuring more than one hundred more. The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center (SPC) received 130 tornado reports from April 26-28, the majority of them on the 26th. The severe impacts have been driven by a weather system which developed across the central Plains on April 25.
In Iowa, dozens of tornado reports came in on Friday, as storms swept eastward across the state. Minden, a small town of about 600, was among the hardest hit, as a large wedge tornado passed through the town, damaging about 180 homes with about 40% of those damaged destroyed. Pleasant Hill in Iowa also saw significant tornado damage.
The storms on Friday also impacted the state of Nebraska. Eppley airfield in Omaha was hit by an EF-2 tornado, though no damage was reported to terminal or passenger buildings. The nearby city of Elkhorn, northwest of Omaha, also saw significant impacts, with images on social media showing homes destroyed on the western side of the town. According to Omaha Fire Chief Kathy Bossman “many houses are flattened and many houses also have significant damage.”
Tornado damage in Elkhorn, Nebraska (Thomas Hinterdorfer)
The severe weather moved south as the weekend progressed, with Oklahoma seeing the bulk of impacts on Saturday into Sunday. Based on preliminary damage survey results, tornadoes with ratings of at least EF3 tore through Sulphur and Marietta in Oklahoma, with Sulphur seeing the worst damage impacts across the state. The service said more investigation would be necessary to determine whether the rating will go higher.
In Hughes County, Oklahoma, officials reported four people injured, as well as several structures either damaged or destroyed, after a tornado ripped through on Saturday. Hughes County Emergency Management reported 14 homes were damaged or destroyed in Holdenville. In addition, officials said four properties were damaged in Okfuskee County, and Pottawatomie County Emergency Management reported seven damaged structures in Dale and unincorporated areas of Shawnee. There were also "numerous injuries" and damaged structures in Wagoner County, officials said. Homes and other structures were also damaged in communities in Garfield, Grant, Kay, Payne and several other counties in Oklahoma, officials said.
More severe weather continued on Sunday, primarily in eastern Texas, with impacts primarily from straight line winds. The SPC convective outlook for Monday, April 29 includes an enhanced area of severe thunderstorm risk across parts of eastern Texas and Louisiana, including the cities of Houston, TX and Lake Charles, LA. This ongoing event has been given a CAT ID (2436) by Verisk Property Claims Services.
Near real-time footprints for hail, straight-line wind, and tornado perils are available through Verisk Weather Solutions Respond analytics. Please contact your Verisk representative with any additional questions regarding Respond analytics or this event.
