Nebraska Tornadoes (Omaha, Kearney, Valley: apartment complexes, mobile home, dorms)

[JustMe_T3K]

I see talk about possible tornadoes in the NE and SD forums quite often,
so I wanted to point out that in the first 20 days of April there has been 169 tornadoes in the US.

None of these have been in NE or SD. The one in Mapleton IA was the only one that was close to us.

I love storm chasing and haven't seen much action in quite a few years.
I just don't see tornadoes as a negative for Nebraska anymore.

[dakota79]

I don't live in Nebraska, but may be moving there soon. I currently live in Kansas. As a weather geek of sorts, I have to agree with you.

In Kansas, at least my part, we have not even had a thunderstorm yet this year. Some parts of the state have, but still nothing compared to other places this year. And actually, this city has never actually had a tornado hit the city limits.

A lot of people don't realize how common tornadoes can be elsewhere. If you look at the "Tornado activity %" compared to average that City-Data lists for each city, a lot of cities in the South Central, Southeast, and Ohio Valley have a higher % than the central Plains states. And there is a huge difference even between Oklahoma and Kansas. And some people think that we have them all year, when in reality they almost all occur within a few months period.

EF5 tornadoes are most common in the central US, but EF5s as a whole are very rare. Of course, those are the ones that make the news, so everyone associates tornadoes with states like ours.

I would much rather have the weather we have in our states than a lot of other places.

[todd00]

This is an interesting chart, me being in Iowa, I take note of the ratings. Good luck with your move.

Top Ten Tornado Lists

[geog-fanatic]

Be greatful you've had a slow year so far. Most Nebraska tornadoes occur in May & June, so there's still a chance it will ramp up before too long.

For anyone who is into detailed tornado research, I have found this site very helpful: Tornado History Project: Maps and Statistics

What I find most interesting about Nebraska's historical tornado records are the lack of deaths compared to most other states (only 57 in the last 60 years). At first I thought it was because most of them hit in rural areas, but even the F4 Omaha tornado of 1975 only killed 3 people! What gives??? - more basements/cellars, less mobile homes & trees? Maybe everyone takes better precautions in Nebraska than in the south???

All in all, I think Dixie Alley is a lot more dangerous than the traditional tornado alley, even if they have fewer strong, long-tracking tornadoes.

[SCGranny]

Fewer trailers... <God is gonna get me for that>

But I really think it has to do with ingrained training and knowledge. Folks in the Plains know what "tornado weather" looks like, as well as what tornadoes can do; they don't need some TV personality talking about 'hooks'. The kids are educated on what to do, and buildings that house large numbers of people have solid interiors to flee to when the warnings are given.

Two years ago, at the annual Boys' and Girls' State (where high-school juniors are nominated from towns all across the state to participate in weeklong activities involving training in speech, civics, and other social sciences) about 550 students were in their classrooms and dorms when the tornado sirens went off. EVERY student filed quietly into the tornado shelter without panic, without hysteria, with firm and clear purpose, helping and guiding each other. There they stayed, packed in tightly, singing and telling jokes quietly, until the 'all-clear' was given.

I have stood on my front porch and taken pictures of 'dry lines' clouds over my town, and in the back yard taken pictures of potential tornadic cloud cover, yet knew when to head to the basement, never straying far from that safe haven. People who have lived with the threat all of their lives think I take too many chances!! But I can't help it, I find the weather out here so uplifting and exciting, and the clouds so changeable and colorful, that I like to have pics of the ever-changing, even potentially deadly, atmosphere. One dry-line series I photographed swept eastward, it's tornadoes striking a town 16 miles east of us. they and the accompanying hail destroyed every single cornstalk and plant in a mile radius - and also opened a neighbor's freezer on her back porch, removing everything and strewing the contents for blocks - but the house itself was virtually unharmed aside from some hail damage. You just never know what they will do, and it's best to recognize their power and respect them, and reasonably protect oneself without getting panicky. JMHO.

[summersolstice]

I live in Kearney and we had one 5-6 blocks from our house a couple of years ago completely destroy the fairgrounds arena and rip apart a couple of apartment complexes. Tornadoes are spotted every year in the area with damage to center pivots but here in these wide open spaces it would truly be a touch of bad luck for anyone to be in an actual tornado, though it does happen almost yearly.

[itsMeFred]

And I think that's the key more than anything.
We have enough open space that when they do touch down, they only take out an outbuilding or two at someone's place, rather than leveling communities.

[springazure]

The other thing people forget to consider, is the LOCATION within each state. Illinois is a very long state (like California). Illinois has it's tornado history, but it's more central and south IL. Northern IL is a much gentler area to live in.

[Wyomama2]

June is prime tornado season in Nebraska, especially the area that is in Tornado Alley, always has been.

[SCGranny]

geog-fanatic, that is a 'way kewl site!
What fun!