As Omaha, Nebraska was pelted by heavy rain, high winds, and severe power outages early on Tuesday morning, residents awoke to blaring weather sirens and significant power outages before moving south to threaten more of the Midwest.
More than 10, 000 customers were without power in and around Omaha, and the deluge of more than 5 inches ( 12.7 centimeters ) of rain in less than two hours flooded basements and submerged cars in low- lying areas.
Broadcast place KETV captured footage of various vehicles being overtaken by rushing waters on a low-lying street in north-central Omaha and firefighters rushing in to help them.
There were confirmed reports of hurricane-force winds, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Becky Kern, despite leaders ‘ initial findings that they had not yet confirmed storms in the area.
” We have a 90 mph ( 145 kph ) gust measured at Columbus”, Kern said. Columbus is about 87 miles ( 140 kilometers ) west of Omaha.
Iowa was in the winds ‘ sights, with the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center giving the state a great opportunity of witnessing extreme storms with the potential for powerful storms later in the afternoon and into the night. Through Tuesday night, the state’s climate services placed a tornado watch over the entirety of the state.
The storms come after time of severe conditions that have devastated much of the middle of the nation. Later on Sunday, strong winds, big storm, and tornadoes swept through Oklahoma and Kansas, causing two homes injuries and two fatalities. Another storm on Monday evening raked northern Nebraska and Colorado, leaving Yuma, Colorado blanketed in thunder, turning roads into streams of water and ice.
Last year, dangerous storms hit the Houston region in Texas, killing at least seven. Those Texans were left in the dark and without air conditioning as a result of the hurricanes on Thursday, which temporarily canceled hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of power for days. Businesses and other structures in downtown skyscrapers were reduced to dust and shattered glass by hurricane-force winds.
According to Bob Oravec, direct meteorologist with the National Weather Service, the storms continued their march across the Midwest on Tuesday and were expected to bring much of the same great winds, heavy rain, and big storm to Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, and a portion of northern Missouri.
” The best chance of severe weather is going to be large hail and high wind, but there’s also a lesser chance of tornadoes”, Oravec said.
He said the system is expected to turn south on Wednesday, bring more severe weather to parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and southern Missouri.
