July 12, 2023 Severe Weather Event

Tornadoes:

• Downloadable KMZ File
• Public Information Statement

Tornado - Howells, NE Colfax County Date 7/12/2023 Time (Local) 514 am - 515 am EF Rating EF-1 Est. Peak Winds 100 mph Path Length 0.25 miles Max Width 50 yards Injuries/Deaths 0 / 0 Summary: A likely tornado embedded within a broader area of downburst winds appears to have impacted homes and trees on the west side of Howells, causing roof damage and shifting the walls of a garage. Beyond this area, it was difficult to discern any particular tornado damage from straight line wind damage, but there was additional damage to trees, fences, and a power substation on the south side of Howells as well. Track Map

Tornado - Bancroft, NE Cuming County Date 7/12/2023 Time (Local) 520 am - 522 am EF Rating EF1 Est. Peak Winds 100 Path Length 0.5 miles Max Width 90 yards Injuries/Deaths 0 / 0 Summary: A brief 1/2 mile long tornado which was imbedded with an area of intense downburst winds started on the north side of Bancroft. The tornado dented in a grain bin, destroyed an outbuilding and snapped about a half dozen trees. The tornado continued east, damaged some sheds, knocked over a tractor trailer, and snapped more trees. Track Map

Tornado - Tekamah, NE Burt County Date 7/12/2023 Time (Local) 537 am EF Rating EF-0 Est. Peak Winds 80 mph Path Length 1.1 miles Max Width 15 yards Injuries/Deaths 0 / 0 Summary: Tornado debris signature was evident at this location. A swath of corn and soybeans approximately 30 to 50 feet wide were badly damaged or torn out of the ground. No nearby homes or barns were damaged. Track Map

Tornado - Central Harrison County Harrison County Date 7/12/2023 Time (Local) 605 am - 614 am EF Rating EF-2 Est. Peak Winds 120 mph Path Length 9.4 miles Max Width 100 yards Injuries/Deaths 0 / 0 Summary: A tornado developed near overton road and 286th street in harrison county iowa. the tornado moved rapidly to the east where it made a direct impact on a home. at this location, the home roof was removed, windows broken, siding ruined, numerous trees snapped, a shed was demolished, and numerous items were thrown up to a half mile downstream. the convergent damage pattern at this location, eye witness reports of wind direction, along with the 80 yard wide path of more intense damage gives great confidence that this was a tornado. winds at this location were estimated at 120 mph based on damage. the tornado moved quickly southeast, causing substantial tree damage with snapped trunks being common along the continued 50 to 100 yard wide track. the tornado moved through neighborhood of acreages along quentin trail where it snapped many trees but moved in between the homes. the track then became more intermittent for a couple miles before it partially removed the roof of a home along 296th street and caused additional narrow tree damage for the next two miles. the final damage point that was pretty clearly tornado damage was near 305th and upton where 3 grain bins were crumpled and blown downstream and a machine shed sustained substantial damage. beyond this point, the tree damage was sporadic and more evident of the larger scale wind field. should also note that to the west of this tornado track, there was a debris signature evident on radar, but the damage was much more consistent with a focused downburst or series of downbursts that moved up from the missouri valley into the loess hills and may have helped to loft light leafy debris. this downburst likely led to the development of the eventual tornado. Track Map

Tornado - Portsmouth, IA Shelby County Date 7/12/2023 Time (Local) 617 am - 619 am EF Rating EF-1 Est. Peak Winds 105 mph Path Length 0.5 miles Max Width 50 yards Injuries/Deaths 0 / 0 Summary: A tornado developed just north of 1150th street and east of Highway 191 where it destroyed two barns and damaged others. The tornado track continued east with evidence of convergent flow pattern within the debris field and the cornfield as it tracked to the east. Track Map

Tornado - Avoca, IA Pottawattamie County Date 7/12/2023 Time (Local) 628 am - 630 am EF Rating EF-1 Est. Peak Winds 105 mph Path Length 1.5 miles Max Width 40 yards Injuries/Deaths 0 / 0 Summary: A tornado impacted a farm on Reflection Lane. There was significant tree damage, windows were blown out of the home, and a large barn had nearly all walls collapse and the roof was removed. There was damage to grain bins farther to the east, and trees were topped to the west along the Nishnabotna River. Track Map

Tornado - Walnut, IA Pottawattamie County Date 7/12/2023 Time (Local) 632 am EF Rating EF0 Est. Peak Winds 80 mph Path Length 0.1 miles Max Width 20 yards Injuries/Deaths 0 / 0 Summary: There is a distinct tornado track through a cornfield approximately 20 yards wide. The track begins in the corn field and seems to end near the road where a couple of branches are snapped. Track Map

The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:

EF0 Weak 65-85 mph	EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph	EF2 Significant 111-135 mph	EF3 Severe 136-165 mph	EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph	EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph

Wind:

Significant wind damage was reported outside of the tornadoes, with the highest measured gust being 82 mph in Dodge County, NE, near Uehling. NWS damage surveys, however, suggest there were likely pockets of straight line winds near 100 mph.

Wind

Damage near Bancroft, NE NWS Damage Survey	Damage in Bancroft, NE NWS Damage Survey	Flattened Corn near Lyons, NE NWS Damage Survey	Damage near Lyons, NE NWS Damage Survey

Photos

Photo taken at the NWS Valley office, as the shelf cloud moves overhead, shortly before 6 am on 7/12/2023. 70 mph winds were recorded shortly after this.	Photo taken in Papillion, NE 7/12/2023. Photo credit Keith Rose.	Map of OPPD power outages as of 7/12/2023 710 am.	Caption (source)

Radar

KOAX radar 7/12/2023 at 520 am (1020 UTC). EF1 Tornado develops near Bancroft, NE. Reflectivity top left, storm relative velocity top right, correlation coefficient bottom left, base velocity bottom right.	KOAX radar 7/12/2023 at 600 am (1100 UTC). Storms as they are about to enter the Omaha metro area. Reflectivity top left, storm relative velocity top right, correlation coefficient bottom left, base velocity bottom right.	KOAX radar 7/12/2023 at 605 am (1100 UTC). Possible developing tornado south of Logan, IA. Reflectivity top left, storm relative velocity top right, correlation coefficient bottom left, base velocity bottom right.	KOAX radar 7/12/2023 at 621 am (1100 UTC). Storms moving through the Omaha and Council Bluffs metro areas. Reflectivity top left, storm relative velocity top right, correlation coefficient bottom left, base velocity bottom right.

Storm Reports

Preliminary Storm Report Map Link

Preliminary Storm Report Listing (subject to additional reports and detail)

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0344 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     2 ENE Verdel            42.83N 98.15W
07/12/2023  M57 MPH          Knox               NE   Public           

            Measured by personal weather station. 

0415 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     2 SSE Creighton         42.44N 97.90W
07/12/2023  M66 MPH          Knox               NE   Public           

            Measured from personal weather station. 

0445 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     8 SSW Sholes            42.23N 97.37W
07/12/2023  M63 MPH          Wayne              NE   Public           

            From a personal weather station. 

0451 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     3 SSW Norfolk           41.99N 97.43W
07/12/2023  M64 MPH          Madison            NE   ASOS             

            Measured at KOFK ASOS. 

0459 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     Wayne                   42.24N 97.02W
07/12/2023                   Wayne              NE   Public           

            Lots of damage to large trees throughout the 
            city. 

0500 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     Stanton                 41.95N 97.22W
07/12/2023                   Stanton            NE   Law Enforcement  

            Corrects time to 5am estimated by radar. 
            Tstm wnd dmg report from Stanton. tree down 
            on house... no injuries. 

0502 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     Pilger                  42.01N 97.06W
07/12/2023  M58 MPH          Stanton            NE   Public

            personal weather station.  

0506 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     4 SW Saint Edward       41.53N 97.92W
07/12/2023  M54 MPH          Boone              NE   Public           

            measured at personal weather station. 

0508 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     Wisner                  41.99N 96.91W
07/12/2023  M66 MPH          Cuming             NE   Public           

            Recorded at a personal weather station. 

0508 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     1 N Wisner              42.00N 96.92W
07/12/2023  M66 MPH          Cuming             NE   Public           

            personal weather station. 

0510 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     7 WNW Thurston          42.21N 96.82W
07/12/2023  M64 MPH          Wayne              NE   Public           

            as recorded at a personal weather station. 

0510 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     Wisner                  41.99N 96.91W
07/12/2023                   Cuming             NE   Public           

            Large tree trunk snapped. 

0514 AM     Tornado          Howells                 41.73N 97.01W
07/12/2023                   Colfax             NE   NWS Storm Survey 

            A likely tornado embedded within a broader 
            area of downburst winds appears to have 
            impacted homes and trees on the west side of 
            Howells, causing roof damage and shifting 
            the walls of a garage. Beyond this area, it 
            was difficult to discern any particular 
            tornado damage from straight line wind 
            damage, but there was additional damage to 
            trees, fences, and a power substation on the 
            south side of Howells as well. 


0516 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     Howells                 41.73N 97.00W
07/12/2023  M78 MPH          Colfax             NE   Trained Spotter  

             

0520 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     Bancroft                42.01N 96.57W
07/12/2023                   Cuming             NE   Trained Spotter  

            Updates previous tstm wnd dmg report from 
            Bancroft. Widespread tree damage in and near 
            Bancroft. Power poles snapped off. Roof 
            blown off of a machine shed. 

0520 AM     Tornado          1 NNW Bancroft          42.02N 96.58W
07/12/2023                   Cuming             NE   NWS Storm Survey 

            A brief 1/2 mile long, EF1 tornado which was 
            imbedded with an area of intense downburst 
            winds, started on the north side of 
            Bancroft. The tornado dented in a grain bin, 
            destroyed an outbuilding and snapped about a 
            half dozen trees. The tornado continued 
            east, damaged some sheds, knocked over a 
            tractor trailer, and snapped more trees. The 
            duration of the tornado was 2 minutes. 

0521 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     5 NNW Columbus          41.50N 97.39W
07/12/2023  M54 MPH          Platte             NE   Public           

            personal weather station. 

0529 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     Oakland                 41.84N 96.47W
07/12/2023  M62 MPH          Burt               NE   Public           

            as measured by a personal weather station. 

0536 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     4 S Uehling             41.68N 96.50W
07/12/2023  M82 MPH          Dodge              NE   Public           

            measured by an anemometer. 

0537 AM     Tornado          3 NW Tekamah            41.81N 96.27W
07/12/2023                   Burt               NE   NWS Storm Survey 

            Tornado debris signature was evident at this 
            location. A swath of corn and soybeans 
            approximately 30 to 50 feet wide were badly 
            damaged or torn out of the ground. No nearby 
            homes or barns were damaged. 

0550 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     1 WNW Fremont           41.45N 96.52W
07/12/2023  M63 MPH          Dodge              NE   AWOS             

            At Fremont Airport. 

0551 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     Fremont                 41.44N 96.49W
07/12/2023                   Dodge              NE   Public           

            Lots of tree damage, large tree snapped at 
            trunk. 

0559 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     1 WNW Valley            41.32N 96.37W
07/12/2023  M70 MPH          Douglas            NE   Public           

            Corrects previous tstm wnd gst report from 1 
            WNW Valley. at NWS Omaha. 

0559 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     4 NE Washington         41.43N 96.16W
07/12/2023  M60 MPH          Washington         NE   Public           

            Measured on two adjacent personal weather 
            stations. 

0559 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     5 N Bennington          41.37N 96.16W
07/12/2023  M60 MPH          Douglas            NE   Public           

            personal weather station. 

0600 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     3 SSW Blencoe           41.89N 96.09W
07/12/2023  M59 MPH          Monona             IA   Public           

            From a personal weather station. 

0600 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     4 WNW Fort Calhoun      41.48N 96.09W
07/12/2023  M58 MPH          Washington         NE   Public           

            From a personal weather station. 

0603 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     Logan                   41.64N 95.79W
07/12/2023                   Harrison           IA   Public           

            Delayed report. Roof damage to a home. 
            Windows blown out. Tree blown down. 

0603 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     Logan                   41.64N 95.79W
07/12/2023                   Harrison           IA   Public           

            Roof damaged and windows blown out on house. 

0605 AM     Tornado          4 SSE Logan             41.59N 95.77W
07/12/2023                   Harrison           IA   NWS Storm Survey 

            Correction to Time. A tornado developed near 
            Overton road and 286th Street in Harrison 
            County Iowa. The tornado moved rapidly to 
            the east where it made a direct impact on a 
            home. At this location, the home roof was 
            removed, windows broken, siding ruined, 
            numerous trees snapped, a shed was 
            demolished, and numerous items were thrown 
            up to a half mile downstream. The convergent 
            damage pattern at this location, eye witness 
            reports of wind direction, along with the 80 
            yard wide path of more intense damage gives 
            great confidence that this was a tornado. 
            Winds at this location were estimated at 120 
            mph based on damage. The tornado moved 
            quickly southeast, causing substantial tree 
            damage with snapped trunks being common 
            along the continued 50 to 100 yard wide 
            track. The tornado moved through 
            neighborhood of acreages along Quentin trail 
            where it snapped many trees but moved in 
            between the homes. The track then became 
            more intermittent for a couple miles before 
            it partially removed the roof of a home 
            along 296th Street and caused additional 
            narrow tree damage for the next two miles. 
            The final damage point that was pretty 
            clearly tornado damage was near 305th and 
            Upton where 3 grain bins were crumpled and 
            blown downstream and a machine shed 
            sustained substantial damage. Beyond this 
            point, the tree damage was sporadic and more 
            evident of the larger scale wind field. 
            Should also note that to the west of this 
            tornado track, there was a debris signature 
            evident on radar, but the damage was much 
            more consistent with a focused downburst or 
            series of downbursts that moved up from the 
            Missouri Valley into the Loess Hills and may 
            have helped to loft light leafy debris. This 
            downburst likely led to the development of 
            the eventual tornado. 

0608 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     4 S Logan               41.58N 95.78W
07/12/2023  M58 MPH          Harrison           IA   Public           

            From a personal weather station. 

0609 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     6 S Fort Calhoun        41.36N 96.01W
07/12/2023  M61 MPH          Douglas            NE   Public           

            personal weather station. 

0610 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     8 ESE Missouri Valley   41.52N 95.76W
07/12/2023                   Harrison           IA   Public           

            Garage door blown in. 

0610 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     Fort Calhoun            41.46N 96.03W
07/12/2023                   Washington         NE   Law Enforcement  

            Widespread tree damage reported in town. 

0611 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     Yutan                   41.25N 96.40W
07/12/2023                   Saunders           NE   Public           

            large tree down... time estimated from 
            radar. 

0614 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     3 W Millard             41.20N 96.22W
07/12/2023  M59 MPH          Douglas            NE   Public           

            From a personal weather station. 

0615 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     4 NNE Bennington        41.42N 96.11W
07/12/2023  M60 MPH          Washington         NE   AWOS             

             

0616 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     5 WNW Persia            41.60N 95.66W
07/12/2023  M58 MPH          Harrison           IA   Public           

            From a personal weather station. 

0616 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     7 ENE Omaha             41.30N 95.90W
07/12/2023  M67 MPH          Douglas            NE   ASOS             

            recorded at Eppley Airport. 

0617 AM     Tornado          2 NE Portsmouth         41.67N 95.49W
07/12/2023                   Shelby             IA   NWS Storm Survey 

            A tornado developed just north of 1150th 
            street and east of Highway 191 where it 
            destroyed two barns and damaged others. The 
            tornado track continued east with evidence 
            of convergent flow pattern within the debris 
            field and the cornfield as it tracked to the 
            east. 


0617 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     3 ESE Council Bluffs    41.22N 95.81W
07/12/2023                   Pottawattamie      IA   Broadcast Media  

            Pool roof blown off at Titan Hill 
            Intermediate School. 

0619 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     4 N Omaha               41.32N 96.01W
07/12/2023  M74 MPH          Douglas            NE   Public           

             

0620 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     Neola                   41.45N 95.62W
07/12/2023                   Pottawattamie      IA   Public           

            Siding blown off on home. 

0623 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     Shelby                  41.51N 95.45W
07/12/2023                   Shelby             IA   Public           

            Delayed report. Large trees blown down. Roof 
            damaged on home. 

0623 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     2 N South Bend          41.02N 96.25W
07/12/2023  M64 MPH          Sarpy              NE   Public           

             

0624 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     5 WNW Underwood         41.42N 95.77W
07/12/2023  M67 MPH          Pottawattamie      IA   Public           

            From a personal weather station. 

0626 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     Harlan                  41.65N 95.33W
07/12/2023                   Shelby             IA   Public           

            Semi blown over, part of a roof blown off a 
            building. 

0626 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     3 N Offutt Afb          41.16N 95.92W
07/12/2023                   Sarpy              NE   Public           

            large tree branches down. 

0627 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     1 SW Papillion          41.14N 96.06W
07/12/2023                   Sarpy              NE   911 Call Center  

            powerlines down and sparking. 

0627 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     2 WNW Offutt Afb        41.12N 95.95W
07/12/2023  M62 MPH          Sarpy              NE   Public           

            personal weather station. 

0627 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     5 NW Lincoln            40.85N 96.76W
07/12/2023  M60 MPH          Lancaster          NE   ASOS             

            reported by KLNK airport ASOS. 

0628 AM     Tornado          3 N Hancock             41.43N 95.36W
07/12/2023                   Pottawattamie      IA   NWS Storm Survey 

            Correction to Time. A tornado impacted a 
            farm on Reflection Lane. There was 
            significant tree damage, windows were blown 
            out of the home, and a large barn had nearly 
            all walls collapse and the roof was removed. 
            There was damage to grain bins farther to 
            the east, and trees were topped to the west 
            along the Nishnabotna River. 

0632 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     5 ENE Lincoln           40.83N 96.59W
07/12/2023  M59 MPH          Lancaster          NE   Public           

            From a personal weather station. 

0632 AM     Tornado          2 WNW Walnut            41.49N 95.25W
07/12/2023                   Pottawattamie      IA   NWS Storm Survey 

            Correction to Time. There is a distinct 
            tornado track through a cornfield 
            approximately 20 yards wide. The track 
            begins in the corn field and seems to end 
            near the road where a couple of branches are 
            snapped. 

0632 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     4 E Omaha               41.26N 95.94W
07/12/2023                   Douglas            NE   Public           

            Medium tree snapped at trunk. 

0633 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     Weeping Water           40.87N 96.14W
07/12/2023                   Cass               NE   Public           

            Carport destroyed. 

0634 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     2 SSW Papillion         41.14N 96.06W
07/12/2023  M62 MPH          Sarpy              NE   Public           

            From a personal weather station. 

0634 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     3 S Elmwood             40.80N 96.29W
07/12/2023  M62 MPH          Cass               NE   Public           

            personal weather station. 

0638 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     Council Bluffs          41.24N 95.86W
07/12/2023                   Pottawattamie      IA   Public           

            Several reports of tree damage. 

0639 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     3 SSE Cedar Creek       41.00N 96.07W
07/12/2023                   Cass               NE   Law Enforcement  

            trees down across hwy 66. 

0640 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     4 NW Martell            40.69N 96.80W
07/12/2023  M65 MPH          Lancaster          NE   Public           

            personal weather station. 

0641 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     2 E Bennet              40.68N 96.47W
07/12/2023  M61 MPH          Lancaster          NE   Public           

            Measured with two adjacent personal weather 
            stations. 

0653 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     Firth                   40.53N 96.60W
07/12/2023  M63 MPH          Lancaster          NE   Trained Spotter  

             

0715 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     Burchard                40.15N 96.35W
07/12/2023  M58 MPH          Pawnee             NE   Public           

            Corrects previous tstm wnd gst report from 
            Burchard. 

0715 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     1 NNW Villisca          40.94N 94.98W
07/12/2023                   Montgomery         IA   Public           

            Trees blown down at the golf course.

&&

Environment

Convective Outlook issued at 7/11/2023 at 8 pm
Tornado Outlook issued at 7/11/2023 at 8 pm	Wind Outlook issued at 7/11/2023 at 8 pm	Wind Outlook issued at 7/11/2023 at 8 pm

Effective shear 7/12/2023 at 5 am	Downdraft Cape 7/12/2023 at 5 am	Derecho Composite 7/12/2023 at 5 am