WEATHER UPDATES: Iowa governor declares disaster Pottawattamie, 14 other counties (2024)

Two waves of severe storms rip through Omaha before tearing across the Midwest

Published: May. 21, 2024 at 8:15 AM CDT|Updated: May. 21, 2024 at 11:43 AM CDT

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Severe weather ripped through the Omaha area Tuesday in two waves: one overnight into the morning hours, the other from midday through mid-afternoon. Both left behind copious amounts of rainfall, damaging winds, and even a few tornadoes.

Follow our latest storm-related updates below:

8:30 p.m. -- The Iowa State Patrol held a press conference regarding the damaging storms that hit the Greenfield community earlier in the day.

7:17 p.m. -- MidAmerican Energy was reporting that 277 customers in and around the Council Bluffs area were still without power. Any MAE customers without electricity were asked to report power outages online or call 1-888-427-5632.

6:30 p.m. -- OPPD reports that all but 665 of the 13,480 customers reporting outages amid Tuesday’s storms have been restored. “Unfortunately, there was another outage in northwest Omaha just before 5 p.m. that affected 3,088 customers,” their update states. The map showed nearly 3,500 outages as of 7:25 p.m., most of them in Douglas County.

6:27 p.m. -- Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds declared disaster areas in 15 counties — following the severe storms that rolled through Nebraska and Iowa on Tuesday, including Pottawattamie, Adams, Cass, Harrison, Montgomery, and Page counties.

4:12 p.m. -- A snapshot of storm reports gathered across the area over the last 24 hours:

3:40 p.m. -- Metropolitan Utilities District crews are still working to repair the broken water main at 64th and Center in the Aksarben area. Center is closed between 60th and 72nd streets in the interim. Crews tell us a 24″ transmission main is being worked on, and the cause of the break is under investigation (but is likely related to the heavy rainfall). Service was restored to area customers, including Baxter Arena, by early afternoon.

Once M.U.D. is done with its work, the City of Omaha will come in for pavement and street repairs.

3:33 p.m. -- The Tornado Watch has been dropped for Pottawattamie County and the rest of the WOWT viewing area; the severe threat is over for most everyone.

Some scattered showers have yet to pass through the area late this afternoon.

2:55 p.m. -- A TORNADO WARNING has been issued for Adams and Cass counties in Iowa until 3:30 p.m. Radar indicates an area of rotation. Hail up to quarter size is likely.

2:48 p.m. -- The Tornado Watch has been dropped for Nemaha and Richardson counties in Nebraska, and Fremont, Harrison, Mills and Monona counties in Iowa. It remains in place for Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, and Shelby counties.

As of 2:50 p.m., around 3,360 OPPD customers remain without power in Douglas County. A handful of outages are ongoing in Sarpy, Washington, Saunders, and Dodge counties.

In Iowa, MidAmerican Energy reports 185 outages in its Council Bluffs service area.

2:38 p.m. -- The Tornado Warning in southwest Iowa continues for Montgomery County until 3 p.m. A CONFIRMED TORNADO is on the ground near Red Oak, west of Stanton. TAKE SHELTER NOW!

A TORNADO WARNING has been issued for the rest of Montgomery County and the northern half of Page County through 3:30 p.m. This does not include Clarinda, but a tornado is on the ground near the Red Oak Municipal Airport.

2:25 p.m. -- Omaha Central High School’s graduation ceremony has been postponed to 7 p.m. Friday due to the weather and power and water disruptions at Baxter Arena.

2:18 p.m -- A TORNADO WARNING has been issued for parts of Fremont, Page, Mills, and Montgomery counties until 3 p.m. Radar has indicated an area of rotation that could spawn a tornado at any time. Hail up to half-dollar size is also possible. Areas like Red Oak and Essex need to SHELTER NOW!

The Tornado Watch has been dropped for all counties west of the Missouri River, with the exception of Nemaha and Richardson counties.

2 p.m. -- The intersection of 88th and Frederick Streets is closed until further notice due to flooding.

1:51 p.m. -- A trained spotter reported a funnel cloud to the west of Thurman, Iowa. The funnel has since dissipated, but a strong area of rotation exists.

The Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been canceled for Douglas and Sarpy counties.

Otoe County has been dropped from the Tornado Warning. It continues for Fremont, Mills and Cass (NE) counties through 2:30 p.m.

1:44 p.m. -- A TORNADO WARNING has been issued for portions of Fremont and Mills counties in Iowa, and Cass and Otoe counties in Nebraska through 2:30 p.m. This includes Union, Bartlett, Thurman, Randolph, Tabor and Malvern.

The Tornado Watch has been dropped for Saunders, Lancaster, Colfax, Stanton and Gage counties.

1:27 p.m. -- The National Weather Service says it received a report of a funnel cloud at 12:57 p.m. three miles east of Yutan. The funnel did not touch down.

Douglas County law enforcement reports 276th Street is closed north of Valley between NE-36 and U.S. 275. Highway 36 is also closed at 276th.

Click the “Add media” button to upload your videos and photos of Tuesday’s storms.

1:16 p.m. -- A TORNADO WARNING has been issued thru 2 p.m. for portions of Cass and Otoe counties in Nebraska, and western fringes of Fremont County, Iowa. TAKE COVER NOW until the threat passes.

1:10 p.m. -- Traffic update: West Maple Road has reopened between 211th and 216th Streets.

The Tornado Warning for Washington County is being allowed to expire. Dodge County has been dropped from the Severe Thunderstorm Warning, but the threat continues for portions of Douglas and Washington counties.

1:07 p.m. -- The Tornado Warning for Douglas County has been canceled. The Severe Thunderstorm Warning in place for Gage County has also been canceled, but remains in place for Johnson and Otoe counties.

1:02 p.m. -- A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is now in place until 2 p.m. for northern Cass, much of Sarpy, and southeastern Douglas counties. This includes downtown Omaha and southern portions of the metro. Hail of up to 1.25″ in diameter and winds in excess of 60 miles per hour are likely.

Another Severe Thunderstorm Warning is in place for portions of Washington, Burt, Harrison, and Monona counties until 2 p.m. Up to ping-pong ball size hail and winds in excess of 70 miles per hour are likely.

Saunders County has been dropped from the Tornado Warning; it remains in place for southwestern Douglas County for another 10 or so minutes.

The Tornado Watch has been canceled for Butler, Seward and Saline counties.

12:45 p.m. -- A TORNADO WARNING has been issued for portions of Douglas and Saunders counties until 1:15 p.m. A severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located near Ithaca, or seven miles southeast of Wahoo, moving northeast at 45 miles per hour. TAKE COVER NOW!

Another TORNADO WARNING has been issued for portions of Dodge and Washington counties in Nebraska and Harrison County in Iowa through 1:30 p.m. TAKE COVER NOW!

12:41 p.m. -- Power outage numbers have decreased somewhat, but OPPD still reports about 3,500 customers in the dark in Douglas County, and just over 1,000 in Washington County.

In Iowa, MidAmerican Energy reports nearly 80 customers without power in its Council Bluffs service area.

12:07 p.m. -- The 6 First Alert Weather Team has a list of rainfall totals we’ve received thus far.

11:37 a.m. -- Omaha Bryan have rescheduled its graduation ceremony for 2 p.m. Friday. Omaha Central is monitoring the weather and standing water around Baxter Arena, and will make a determination before 2:30 p.m. today.

Center Street is closed between 60th and 72nd Streets due to a water main break. This is expected to last six weeks.

11:30 a.m. -- Offutt Air Force Base is releasing staff early.

11:14 a.m. -- Tuesday’s Big Ten Baseball games, including the Huskers, have been rescheduled. Nebraska was scheduled for 2 p.m. but will now take on Ohio State at 8 p.m.

11:11 a.m. -- The National Weather Service has issued a TORNADO WATCH for eastern Nebraska and western Iowa, including Omaha, Council Bluffs, and Lincoln, through 5 p.m.

11:06 a.m. -- OPPD’s power outage map shows just shy of 7,000 customers without power in the service area. 6,532 outages are reported in Douglas County, with between 50 and 100 outages each in Sarpy and Washington counties.

10:51 a.m. -- Omaha Public Works announced trash collection may experience delays due to the closure of Pheasant Point Landfill because of the weather. Recycling and yard waste have not been impacted. FCC Environmental plans to collect trash until its trucks are full, but will not be able to continue collecting until the landfill reopens and trucks can be emptied. Residents whose trash is not collected are asked to leave their carts at the curb for FCC to collect when the landfill opens back up. Missed collections should be reported to the Solid Waste Hotline after 7 p.m. on the scheduled collection day at (402) 444-5238.

10:35 a.m. -- M.U.D. crews are closing Center Street between 64th and 67th Streets, directly impacting access to Baxter Arena.

Saddle Creek Road has reopened between Farnam and Pacific. Get the latest on closures and restrictions on our 6 First Alert Traffic Blog.

10:15 a.m. -- Omaha Fire Department crews are performing “multiple” water rescues across the city. Remember -- turn around, don’t drown when encountering water-covered roadways.

Douglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson posted this message on X/Twitter:

10 a.m. -- MUD says the water main break is near 67th & Center. They are starting to see pressure come back in many areas as repairs are underway.

The Pheasant Point Landfill will be closed Tuesday due to severe weather.

St. Thomas More Catholic School is closing at Noon today due to a water main break in the area.

9:10 a.m. -- South Saddle Creek Road will be closed until further notice between Farnam and Pacific for storm cleanup.

8:50 a.m. -- MUD reports a significant water main break is affecting a large area of Omaha, east of 72nd Street. Crews are attempting to locate the break for repairs.

8:40 a.m. -- West Maple Road remains closed in both directions at 211th Street due to flooding. This is at the Ramblewood Development, which was ravaged by a tornado nearly four weeks ago. Meanwhile, Center Street was blocked by flooding in the Aksarben area at 67th Street.

8:30 a.m. -- 6 News reporter Mike McKnight is with crews in Leshara where first responders are launching boats to evacuate people. Senior Chief Meteorologist Rusty Lord expressed concerns about untapped energy in southeast Nebraska and what it means for potential storms later this afternoon.

8:20 a.m. -- Clearly, hazardous traffic conditions have been a problem during the morning commute. As water recedes, missing manhole covers have been revealed in various parts of the city. Proceed with caution. OPD just reported that all stalled cars along Saddle Creek between Dodge and Center Streets have been cleared.

8:10 a.m. -- The first game of the Big 10 Baseball Tournament is delayed to 1 p.m. Tuesday afternoon instead of 10 a.m.

Westside Community Schools will be delayed 2 hours today. Karen Western Elementary, in the Ralston school district, will be closed due to standing water and a rising Papio Creek.

Meteorologist David Koeller has been monitoring a rising Little Papillion Creek, west of 72nd & Dodge. The water was covering the walk/bike path.

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