The leading edge of the thunderstorm complex that produced the Broken Bow tornado moves near Elm Creek, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
BROKEN BOW — A brief EF-1 tornado took place on the west side of Broken Bow and was able to toss a 800 pound trailer in less than two seconds during the evening of Tuesday, July 16.
“Isolated thunderstorms developed along a decaying outflow boundary that was draped across north central Nebraska during the afternoon hours on Tuesday, July 16, 2024. Aided by a narrow region of rich low- level moisture, the storms were able to quickly become severe and produce widespread wind and hail damage from Brown and Rock Counties south southeast through the entirety of Custer County,” the National Weather Service – North Platte stated.
“The thunderstorm produced several down bursts, which stripped crops to stubble and toppled trees. In addition, numerous power poles were snapped or toppled and irrigation pivots destroyed along the entire life cycle of the supercell thunderstorm,” NWS North Platte noted.
“In the city of Broken Bow, a down burst impacted a commercial building, where the roof was detached and thrown to the south impacting high tension power lines and adjacent buildings. Tree damage and loss was noted in the city of Broken Bow as well,” stated NWS North Platte.
The heaviest concentration of outflow wind was from just south of Merna, Nebraska, to the south southeast across Broken Bow to Pressey Wildlife Management Area. In this area, thunderstorm wind speeds ranged from 60 to 95 mph, NWS North Platte stated.
The storm was largely outflow dominant during its lifecycle, meaning the downdraft has overpowered the updraft.
However, the storm was able to produce a brief tornado on the far western edge of Broken Bow. While the tornado was in contact with the ground for less than two seconds, it was still able to toss an 800-pound trailer into the far front quarter panel of an adjacent car.
The tornado was observed by a storm spotter and captured on surveillance video.
Based on the effects of the tornado, the peak windspeed was estimated at 100 mph, making the tornado rating an higher end EF-1. Its path was only one yard and was on the ground at 6:59 p.m.
