Tornadoes · United States · Nebraska · 2024

EF0 tornado, Waverly, Nebraska, April 26, 2024

This EF0 tornado ran 1.9 miles across Lancaster County on April 26, 2024, touching down at 3:03 PM CDT and reaching 50 yards wide. It killed nobody.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. EF065 to 85 mphthis tornado

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. EF186 to 110 mph

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. EF2111 to 135 mph

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. EF3136 to 165 mph

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. EF4166 to 200 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. EF5over 200 mph

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

The record

Rating
EF0
Date
April 26, 2024
Touchdown
3:03 PM CDT (20:03 UTC)
Lifted
3:07 PM CDT (20:07 UTC)
On the ground
4 minutes
Path length
1.9 miles (3.1 km)
Path width
50 yards (46 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Lancaster County
Touchdown point
40.950, -96.530
Lift-off point
40.970, -96.500
Record number
2404261403-01

The damage survey

63 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS OAX, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EFU. The highest wind the damage implies is 158 mph.

  • Storm chaser video with time and location stamps indicate that this is the approximate ending point of the tornado as the ground circulation ceased.
  • Approximate end point according to video and satellite based evidence.
  • Approximate start point based on satellite and video evidence.
  • Approximate end point based on satellite and video evidence.

Survey points are preliminary and are the raw material the published rating was built from. Source: NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.

What the Weather Service recorded

On the morning of April 26th, a potent negatively-tilted shortwave trough ejected out into the central Plains. Upper air analysis shows a jet streak on the downstream side of this trough with substantial divergence aloft over Nebraska. At the surface, morning cloud cover and drizzle across much of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa quickly gave way to partly cloud skies as a warm front moved north through the area, just after noon. At the same time, thunderstorms initiated along a pacific front/dryline in south-central Nebraska. One supercell produced several tornadoes from south-central Nebraska into Boone County, resulting in an EF-2 tornado just west of Cedar Rapids. A second round of supercells initiated in Jefferson and Saline counties. These long-track supercells produced the worst tornado outbreak the Omaha WFO has seen in 10 years. 5 EF-3 tornadoes were surveyed, with several of these tornadoes just shy of an EF-4 rating. One of these EF-3 tornadoes impacted the northeast side of Lincoln, Nebraska where 70 people were reported trapped in a manufacturing plant that collapsed as the tornado passed. Another long-track EF-3 tornado hit portions of Elkhorn, Bennington and Blair, Nebraska. Eppley Airfield was hit by the third EF-3 tornado of the day, doing damage to aircraft hangars on the southeast side of the airport before hitting homes in far western Pottawattamie County. The last two EF-3 tornadoes of the day both impacted portions of Pottawattamie County. While one remained primarily in rural areas in the central part of the county, the final EF-3 of the day hit the town of Minden, Iowa head-on, resulting in 1 fatality and 3 injuries. This was the only fatality of the entire event. This tornado continued into Shelby County, narrowly missing the towns of Tenant and Harlan. A total of 24 tornadoes were confirmed across both Nebraska and Iowa portions of the Omaha CWA. The strongest tornado was the EF-3 that impacted Elkhorn and Blair, with peak estimated wind speeds at 165 miles per hour.||Along the warm front the day prior, scattered thunderstorms developed along the Kansas-Nebraska border during the evening hours. Most of these storms were sub-severe, however, one thunderstorm produced severe hail in and north of Odell, Nebraska for around ten minutes just before 9 pm CDT.

This tornado developed immediately prior to the dissipation of the Lincoln EF-3 tornado to its southeast. The tornado traveled northeast for nearly 3 miles, doing most of its damage to trees and powerlines, but also destroying two large outbuildings and causing window damage to a home. This tornado dissipated in a field as a new tornado developed quickly to its north according to video and satellite evidence. Peak estimated winds in this tornado were at 107 miles per hour, with a peak width of 150 yards and an average track width estimated at 100 yards.

A storm chaser with time and location stamps on their video tracked a tornado through mainly open fields. A damage survey team did find evidence of some minor tree damage at a few locations, sufficient to rate this as an EF-0 tornado.

A storm chaser with time and location stamps tracked a tornado through mainly open fields. A subsequent storm damage survey revealed that EF-0 damage had been done in the Lancaster County portion of this track. Beginning on Little Salt Road a quarter mile east of County Road 10, several large branches were observed to have been broken by the tornado. The tornado continued into Saunders County where it produced EF-1 damage to a farmstead on Emery Road between County Road 8 and County Road 7. Peak estimated winds from this tornado in Lancaster County were estimated to be around 75 miles per hour. The tornado was roughly 30 yards wide for its duration in the county before moving into southeastern Saunders County.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the tornado touched down, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Omaha, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at Apr 26, 1:06 PM CDT, 1 hour 57 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

  • Severe thunderstorms Today and Saturday with strong tornadoes, large hail, damaging winds, and flash flooding possible. Greater flooding threat on Saturday night.
  • Severe thunderstorms possible on Sunday as well, to a lesser degree, but brief tornadoes possible as well.
  • Storms wrap up by Monday, with warmer temperatures arriving next week. Another round of showers and storms possible Tuesday/Wednesday.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 26, 1:06 PM CDT, 1 hour 57 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Omaha/Valley NE
106 PM CDT Fri Apr 26 2024

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Severe thunderstorms Today and Saturday with strong tornadoes,
  large hail, damaging winds, and flash flooding possible.
  Greater flooding threat on Saturday night.

- Severe thunderstorms possible on Sunday as well, to a lesser
  degree, but brief tornadoes possible as well.

- Storms wrap up by Monday, with warmer temperatures arriving
  next week. Another round of showers and storms possible
  Tuesday/Wednesday.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 1224 PM CDT Fri Apr 26 2024

Skies are clearing from the southeast this afternoon as storms
are starting to develop near the center of the surface low
across central Nebraska. There's already one supercell that has
developed west of Grand Island. We're watching towering Cu start
to develop across north-central Kansas and south-central
Nebraska out near Hebron which will be our line of strong to
severe thunderstorms for this afternoon. We have a primed
environment with 2000-2500 J/kg of MLCAPE, 150-200 m2/s2 of 0-1
km helicity that increases to 200+ across southeast Nebraska.
Seems like this could be a day where any individual storm will
be capable of producing a strong tornado. Storms will be moving
into the Lincoln area around 3 PM, the Omaha Metro around 4 - 5
PM, making it to the Missouri River around 5 PM, and out of our
area by around 7 to 8 PM. Some of the CAMS show the potential
for an additional storm or two trailing behind the main line,
but the severe window for each area will center mostly around
the main line of storms.

Once storms clear the area this evening, we'll see clearing
skies across most of our area. We will have low clouds spread
south out of South Dakota overnight tonight into Norfolk, but
probably won't make it as far south as Omaha.

Saturday morning we'll be between systems, dry with light
winds. We'll see a warm front lift north during the afternoon
with the approach of our next low pressure system. We'll see
initial storm development along and ahead of the warm front
around 6-7 PM with several rounds of storms developing and
training along the warm front which stalls somewhere along I-80.
With training storms, we add the significant potential for flash
flooding in addition to large hail, strong tornadoes, and
damaging winds Saturday evening, with the significant severe
threat possibly not ending until after midnight.

We'll see a third chance for severe storms on Sunday as the
center of the surface low passes over our area Sunday afternoon.
This will be a lower threat, but should not be overlooked. This
will be similar to what we saw about ten days ago where we had a
couple brief tornadoes that popped up from low-topped supercells
that developed in a similar environment as the surface low again
passed right over our area. We could also see hail up to
quarter-size and damaging winds up to 60 mph. All storms should
finally exit our area after midnight Monday.

For the extended forecast, we just don't have time right now to
do an in-depth analysis beyond day three. See previous
discussion below:

We finally receive a break from the active weather pattern on
Monday and into early next week, with just a few minor showers
and storms possible Tuesday and Wednesday. Temperatures will
generally top out in the 70s next week, with a few locations
reaching the low 80s on Tuesday.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY/...
Issued at 1149 AM CDT Fri Apr 26 2024

IFR cigs this morning are starting to clear from the southwest
this morning as the low pressure center starts its approach.
Expect a period of improvement to VFR conditions with BKN or SCT
cigs around 3500-4500 ft about an hour or two before
thunderstorms move through the terminals this afternoon. Models
suggest there could be one or two lines of thunderstorms that
roll through. Went ahead and put one line in the TAFs, but will
adjust to factor in for a second line of storms if it develops
just behind the first. Storms should be east of the terminals by
00Z this evening, with clearing skies and winds turning
westerly or southwesterly. Low clouds will spread south out of
South Dakota into KOFK late in the TAF period around 04-06Z
bringing MVFR to IFR conditions through the end of the TAF
period. As of right now it does not appear they will get far
enough south to impact KOMA or KLNK.

&&

.OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NE...None.
IA...None.

&&

DISCUSSION...McCoy/KG
AVIATION...McCoy
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 26, 1:22 PM CDT, 1 hour 41 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Omaha/Valley NE
122 PM CDT Fri Apr 26 2024

IAZ043-055-056-069-079-080-090-091-NEZ011-012-015>018-030>034-
042>045-050>053-065>068-078-088>093-270830-
Monona-Harrison-Shelby-Pottawattamie-Mills-Montgomery-Fremont-
Page-Knox-Cedar-Thurston-Antelope-Pierce-Wayne-Boone-Madison-
Stanton-Cuming-Burt-Platte-Colfax-Dodge-Washington-Butler-
Saunders-Douglas-Sarpy-Seward-Lancaster-Cass-Otoe-Saline-
Jefferson-Gage-Johnson-Nemaha-Pawnee-Richardson-
122 PM CDT Fri Apr 26 2024

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southwest
Iowa...west central Iowa...east central Nebraska...northeast
Nebraska and southeast Nebraska.

.DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight

Severe weather is likely across much of eastern Nebraska and
southwest Iowa this afternoon and evening. All hazards are
possible, including large hail up to three inches in diameter, a
few strong tornadoes, and thunderstorm winds up to 70 mph. Much
of eastern Nebraska and southwest Iowa are in an enhanced risk of
severe weather. The best timeframe for severe storms should be
from 2 pm through 8 pm. Be prepared to implement severe weather
safety plans this afternoon and evening.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday

Another round of severe weather is likely late Saturday afternoon
into Saturday night, especially along and south of I-80. Again,
all severe hazards are possible, including hail up to three inches
in diameter, a few strong tornadoes, and thunderstorm winds up to
70 mph.

Severe weather is again possible Sunday afternoon into evening in
parts of southeast Nebraska and southwest Iowa. Hail up to
quarter size and thunderstorm winds up to 60 mph are the main
hazards, but an isolated weak tornado couldn't be ruled out as
well.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation will likely be required on both this afternoon
and evening and Saturday evening.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 26, 2:46 PM CDT, 17 minutes before
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The air that afternoon

The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.

Omaha, NE (KOAX), 12:00Z

8.1 hours before the tornado, 42 km from the path. April 26, 2024.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Omaha, NE at 12:00Z on 2024-04-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 0 joules per kilogram, CIN -97530, lifted condensation level 565 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Omaha, NE at 12:00Z on 2024-04-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 518 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 54 knots.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-97530 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
565 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
54 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
518 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
707 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.3
0-3 km lapse rate
3.7 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Omaha, NE (KOAX), 00:00Z

3.9 hours after it, 42 km from the path. April 27, 2024.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Omaha, NE at 00:00Z on 2024-04-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 269 joules per kilogram, CIN -7, lifted condensation level 1292 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Omaha, NE at 00:00Z on 2024-04-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 60 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 35 knots.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
269 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-7 J/kg
Surface CAPE
1032 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1292 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
60 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
89 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.1
0-3 km lapse rate
7.3 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Lincoln (LNK), 25 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
00:00 UTC

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

The radar

The Omaha radar (KOAX), 42 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 20:02 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track

Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2024 tornado in NebraskaEvery tornado in Nebraska since 1950Warnings in force in Nebraska nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of April 26, 2024

77 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 264:49 AM CDTEF0Cleveland, OK0.530$10,000
April 264:52 AM CDTEF0Pottawatomie, OK2.440$5,000
April 264:53 AM CDTEF1Cleveland, OK1.975$6,000
April 265:05 AM CDTEF0Pottawatomie, OK2.450$30,000
April 265:28 AM CDTEF1Okfuskee, OK9.9500$20,000
April 265:31 AM CDTEF0Lincoln, OK0.230$10,000
April 266:18 AM CDTEF1Okmulgee, OK6.9650$25,000
April 267:22 AM CDTEF1Pittsburg, OK1.7250$50,000
April 2612:16 PM CDTEF1Sherman, NE4.7175$140,000
April 2612:23 PM CDTEF0McLennan, TX0.130$10,000
April 2612:26 PM CDTEF1McLennan, TX0.9100$200,000
April 2612:32 PM CDTEF1Sherman, NE5.7100$200,000
April 2612:48 PM CDTEF0McLennan, TX0.215
April 2612:48 PM CDTEF2Hill, TX5.7165$200,000
April 2612:52 PM CDTEF0Howard, NE2.350$200,000
April 2612:58 PM CDTEF3Howard, NE9.3600$3.5 million
April 261:06 PM CDTEF1Hill, TX0.255$60,000
April 261:30 PM CDTEF1Navarro, TX9.0200$200,000
April 261:32 PM CDTEF2Howard, NE9.2880$800,000
April 261:46 PM CDTEF1Navarro, TX11.3200$200,000
April 261:49 PM CDTEF1Hill, TX2.4200$50,000
April 262:04 PM CDTEF2Greeley, NE26.7500$25,000
April 262:19 PM CDTEF0Navarro, TX2.1100
April 262:30 PM CDTEF0Navarro, TX1.1100$100,000
April 262:51 PM CDTEF1Butler, NE8.1200
April 262:52 PM CDTEF3Lincoln tornado, NE5.37003
April 262:57 PM CDTEF1Lancaster, NE3.0150
April 263:06 PM CDTUnratedButler, NE0.730
April 263:12 PM CDTEF1Saunders, NE3.850
April 263:27 PM CDTUnratedBoone, NE1.050
April 263:30 PM CDTEF4Elkhorn tornado, NE31.91,9004
April 263:32 PM CDTEF2Elk, KS8.5300
April 263:34 PM CDTEF2Woodson, KS6.7100
April 263:42 PM CDTUnratedBoone, NE2.0100
April 263:52 PM CDTEF0Wilson, KS1.0150
April 264:07 PM CDTEF1Platte, NE4.8100
April 264:13 PM CDTEF1Wilson, KS1.360
April 264:52 PM CDTEF1Mills, IA2.780
April 264:52 PM CDTEF1Harrison, IA9.1766
April 264:54 PM CDTEF3Douglas, IA to NE19.1550
April 264:59 PM CDTEF0Harrison, IA2.6200
April 265:02 PM CDTUnratedAllen, KS0.010
April 265:08 PM CDTEF3Pottawattamie, IA13.3900
April 265:10 PM CDTUnratedRichardson, NE0.01
April 265:16 PM CDTEF1Stanton, NE0.7100
April 265:17 PM CDTEF0Monona, IA1.5100
April 265:23 PM CDTEF1Monona, IA3.3250
April 265:25 PM CDTEF3Minden–Harlan tornado, IA40.31,90013
April 265:29 PM CDTEF0Bourbon, KS3.375$50,000
April 265:40 PM CDTEF1Harrison, IA1.830
April 265:45 PM CDTUnratedRichardson, NE0.01
April 266:07 PM CDTEF1Vernon, MO3.495$40,000
April 266:14 PM CDTUnratedHolt, MO0.01
April 266:28 PM CDTEF2Shelby, IA9.3200$50,000
April 266:30 PM CDTUnratedCrawford, IA2.550
April 266:36 PM CDTEF0Bates, MO0.850
April 266:47 PM CDTEF0Bates, MO1.150
April 266:49 PM CDTEF1Shelby, IA13.0300$30,000
April 266:52 PM CDTEF2Adams, IA9.7350$300,000
April 266:56 PM CDTEF0St. Clair, MO0.250$20,000

All 78 of them

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.