Forecasters warned on Monday that the central Plains faced a rare high-end risk of violent tornadoes, as a severe weather outbreak that battered the region over the weekend was expected to reach its most dangerous phase.
The Storm Prediction Center placed parts of Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri under a moderate risk for severe weather, with a 15 per cent chance of tornadoes in the hardest-hit zone and the possibility of twisters rated EF3 or stronger. Supercell thunderstorms capable of those tornadoes, along with softball-sized hail, were expected to develop across the most exposed areas by late Monday afternoon and early evening.
The Monday threat followed a punishing Sunday, when storms produced roughly two dozen reports of tornadoes, baseball-sized and larger hail, and wind gusts above 70 miles per hour. The worst conditions stretched from Nebraska, Kansas and South Dakota into north-west Iowa.
A tornado struck north of Grand Island, Nebraska, hitting the small Howard County town of St. Libory. Multiple structures were damaged, and footage from the scene showed two people and a dog being pulled from the basement of a collapsed home.
Near Hebron, in Thayer County, at least one home was destroyed. The county’s emergency management director said no injuries had been reported there as of late Sunday.
Emergency officials urged residents across the risk area to identify a sturdy shelter before the afternoon and to keep more than one way of receiving warnings, noting that the fast-moving supercells expected on Monday can give little notice.
The outbreak adds to an active spring across the country’s mid-section, where repeated rounds of severe weather have tested communities still clearing debris from earlier storms.