Omaha tornado – A tornado warning in the Omaha metro was canceled at 11:15 p.m. Friday, but forecasters warned lightning and heavy rain would continue after the lift. Severe thunderstorm warnings had stretched across multiple counties in Nebraska and western Iowa through the
The Omaha metro finally got a late Friday-night break: the tornado warning was canceled at 11:15 p.m. But the sky did not fully settle. Lightning and heavy rain were expected to continue through midnight, even after the most urgent alert was lifted.
The cancellations came after a long stretch of severe weather that rolled through county lines all evening.. Severe thunderstorm warnings were in effect across multiple parts of Nebraska and western Iowa. moving in waves as storms developed and shifted.. Earlier Friday, alerts covered Harrison, Monona and Washington counties until 10:30 p.m., then expanded at 10:15 p.m.. to include Washington, Harrison, Saunders, Douglas, Dodge, Shelby and Pottawattamie counties through 11:15 p.m.
A separate warning for Burt, Harrison, Monona and Washington counties also expired at 10:30 p.m. In western Iowa and eastern Nebraska, forecasters had posted warnings for Mills, Cass, Fremont, Montgomery, Pottawattamie and Page counties as storms built and moved east.
At the same time. a wider severe thunderstorm watch remained in effect for much of the Omaha metro area and surrounding regions until 1 a.m.. Saturday.. Forecasters said the tornado potential Friday night was very low. which kept attention focused less on rotation and more on hazards like hail. strong winds and heavy downpours.
Part of why conditions were able to produce fast-growing storms was the late-day atmosphere: temperatures climbed into the 90s across the Omaha metro. and humidity increased.. Storm development was expected to begin around 6:00 p.m.. and strengthen as it moved east, with hail, damaging winds and heavy rain the biggest threats.
For residents stepping back from Friday night’s alerts, the immediate tornado concern had eased.. But the forecast still pointed to more trouble ahead.. Forecasters said another round of storms was expected to start in central Nebraska Saturday afternoon and move east toward Omaha through the evening and overnight. making Friday night only the first of several rounds through the weekend.
Omaha metro tornado warning canceled severe thunderstorm watch severe thunderstorm warnings lightning heavy rain hail strong winds Nebraska western Iowa Saturday storms