We had quiet weather over the weekend here in Central Georgia, which is lucky for us during these spring months. However, across other portions of the country, a devastating weekend tornado outbreak slammed the Great Plains and Midwest.
Meteorologist Alex Pry breaks down this weekend tornado outbreak, which was by far the most significant of 2024 so far. States in the Midwest and Great Plains saw what seemed like continuous tornadoes from Friday all the way to yesterday.
Midwest Maelstrom: Monstrous Tornadoes Leave Path of Destruction
The video footage captured Friday of tornadoes tearing through Nebraska and Iowa during the weekend tornado outbreak is truly unbelievable. One tornado specifically was caught crossing over Interstate 80 north of Lincoln, Nebraska, with a visible wall of flying debris surrounding it. A wedge tornado was also seen outside of Harlan, Iowa, which locals described as at least a mile wide.
Then on Saturday, this weekend tornado outbreak hit Oklahoma towns like Sulphur and Marietta south of Oklahoma City. These towns were torn apart by the damaging winds, which were so strong that areas not even in the direct path of the tornado, like Norman, Oklahoma, saw tree branches puncture insulation walls. This gives an idea of how fast debris moves in tornado vortices.
Sunshine vs. Storms: Tornado Outbreak Wreaks Havoc While Central Georgia Gets a Break
Perhaps the most dangerous part of this weekend tornado outbreak is that these tornadoes continued into the nighttime hours. For people driving, tornadoes were only visible by occasional lightning flashes, and the flying debris wouldn’t be seen until it was right on top of them, as shown in this video.
As of 9:00 p.m. last night, a total of 278 tornado warnings were issued by the National Weather Service offices this past weekend. Dozens of tornadoes have been confirmed, with that number still very likely to climb. Initial damage surveys say a handful of these tornadoes have caused at least EF3 damage.
