GREENFIELD, Iowa (NEWSnet/AP) — Stormy weather will continue to threaten parts of the U.S. this weekend, even as Midwest and central Plains towns continue their clean up from a recent onslaught of tornadoes, hail and high winds.
Among the latest details: the National Weather Service has given the May 21 tornado that hit Greenfield, Iowa, an EF4 damage rating. The EF scale is 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest, and even a 4 rating is rare.
Here are some of the latest reports:
Storms in Iowa
Cleanup is in progress in Greenfield, where the tornado destroyed more than 100 homes, injured over 30 people and resulted in fatalities in the community.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has applied for Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance; and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said her agency will process the application as quickly as possible.
Storms in Nebraska
Nebraska was the scene of multiple tornado and hail reports Thursday night.
A state trooper in Nebraska shared photos on social media of quarter-sized hail and funnel clouds as seen near Ogallala.
undefined
Storms in Oklahoma
A tornado was on the ground in southwestern Oklahoma for nearly an hour on Thursday evening, the National Weather Service said. There were reports of some homes damaged, but no immediate reports of injuries, said meteorologist Jennifer Thompson.
The NWS Norman office has sent a crew to Jackson County Friday morning for a tornado survey report, into an area where there were a number of power outages.
2024 Tornado Season
The NWS and its bureaus are investigating a total of 26 reports of tornadoes from Thursday.
This has been a busy year for severe weather, with 160 tornado watches issued across the country as of May 23, according to NWS Storm Prediction Center data.
Furthermore, nearly every day from April 25 to May 23 has seen a tornado reported somewhere across the U.S – with May 10, 15 and 18 being the exceptions.
There have been three EF4 tornado damage ratings issued in 2024, on a scale of 1 to 5. An EF4 tornado typically has winds of 166 to 200 mph. Those three tornadoes, all of which resulted in fatalities, were:
- April 27 in Marietta, Oklahoma.
- May 6 in Barnsdale and Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
- May 21 in Greenfield, Iowa.
Looking Ahead
Severe thunderstorms are expected into Friday evening from north Texas/eastern Oklahoma and the Mid-South into the Midwest, including parts of Missouri and Illinois.
Severe weather also could arrive Saturday and Sunday in storm-damaged parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.
undefined
Follow NEWSnet on Facebook and X platform to get our headlines in your social feeds.
Copyright 2024 NEWSnet and The Associated Press. All rights reserved.