Powerful tornadoes tear across Nebraska and Iowa as weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage

Devastating tornadoes are tearing across parts of eastern Nebraska and Iowa on Friday as a multiday severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.

Devastating tornadoes are tearing across parts of eastern Nebraska and Iowa on Friday as a multiday severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.

Storms began in parts of the Plains and South early Friday afternoon. The National Weather Service had received at least 42 reports of tornadoes as of 6:30 p.m. ET, in at least three states, including Texas, Nebraska and Iowa.

In Nebraska, one storm chaser described a “very devastating situation” after a tornado barreled through the Omaha suburb of Elkhorn. “Some houses have been swept and no longer exist,” Thomas Hinterdorfer told CNN. “Most homes in this immediate area have suffered significant damage and it’s likely going to be a long clean up effort.”

• On Friday, a tornado roared through the outskirts of Lincoln, Neb., tearing the roofs off homes and crossing part of I-80 in the process. An overturned tractor-trailer, blown over by the storms, brought traffic to a slow crawl on the interstate, traffic cameras showed.

• In Elkhorn, an area on the edge of Omaha, first responders are still combing through the wreckage left behind by the tornado, searching through flattened homes for anyone trapped or injured, local authorities announced at a Friday news conference. The area is grappling with power outages, gas leaks, toppled trees, and unstable structures. Two people were transported for medical treatment with minor injuries. "We think injuries were so little because the warning systems in the City of Omaha and Douglas County were highly effective," Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said. "We were not hit with a sudden storm. People had warned of this, which saved lives, in our opinion." 

• Shelby and Douglas County emergency management officials in Nebraska said they have received no reports of injuries from Friday’s storms. Alex Londo, Shelby County’s emergency coordinator said there has been substantial property damage. “First responders are out assessing the needs at this time,” Londo told CNN. And Leia Baez, communications director for Douglas County, said there were no serious injuries or fatalities from the tornadoes in Elkhorn, Bennington and Waterloo but many homes were severely damaged, displacing residents. An American Red Cross shelter has been opened in Elkhorn.

• Omaha’s Eppley Airfield, the largest airport serving the region, was brief closed Friday so officials could do a damage assessment, according to a post on X. The airport reopened around 6 p.m. local time after closing “due to storm activity”, according to Tim Schmitt, chief operations officer with Omaha Airport Authority. Some planes and hangars were damaged, he added.