Widespread power outages as severe thunderstorms hit Omaha, Nebraska

ByRishav Kothari
omaha thunderstorm july 31 2024 damage

Image credit: NWS Omaha

Severe thunderstorms struck eastern Nebraska and southwestern Iowa on July 31, 2024, causing widespread power outages in the Omaha metro area.

The storm system moved across the Cornhusker State’s largest city, resulting in extensive wind damage. Wind gusts around Omaha’s Eppley Airfield, the region’s busiest airport, reached 145 km/h (90 mph).

Following the storm, the airport was closed for several hours so crews could assess damage. The airport has since resumed operations.

Damage to awnings and trees was widespread, with PowerOutage.US reporting over a quarter of a million outages in Nebraska. This is approximately 650 000 people.

The Omaha Public Power District (OPPD), the region’s largest utility provider, said that the severe weather event was the largest restoration effort in recent memory and requested customers to be patient while its crews began the cleanup process.

“The windstorm that struck the OPPD service territory caused power outages to 220 545 customers,” said OPPD on July 31.

“There have been reports of wind gusts up to 161 km/h (100 mph) in some areas. There is heavy tree damage and reports of downed wires across the area. Our crews are assessing the damage and are in the early stages of what is one of our largest restoration efforts as of late,” they added.

The town of Lincoln was also hit hard by severe winds. City officials reported power outages to the town’s wells temporarily disrupted water supplies and were urging residents to conserve water.

The National Weather Service (NWS) office for the region indicated that most of the damage reports were from straight-line winds, but meteorologists would need to determine in the coming days if there were any embedded tornadoes in the storms.

“Clearly, the damage is extensive and intense over a huge area, almost exclusively due to straight-line winds. We have some reports of ‘gustnado’ type of circulations, and some that will need to be evaluated for whether there are tornado damage tracks embedded within the straight-line wind region,” said Brian Barjenbruch, a meteorologist at the NWS office.

Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium also reported extensive tree damage, but staff said all employees and animals were accounted for.

References:

1 Powerful bow echo slams Omaha with hurricane-force winds – FOX Weather – July 31, 2024

Rishav Kothari is Editor-in-Chief of The Watchers, where he runs the newsroom and covers earthquakes, volcanoes, severe weather and space weather.

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