Choleric

Early stages of the largest tornado in US History. Eventually became 2.5 miles wide, before destroying Hallam, Nebraska.

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Hallam Tornado Outbreak

The Hallam, Nebraska Tornado Outbreak was an outbreak of 56 tornadoes in several Midwestern U.S. states on the evening of May 22, 2004 and the first of series of tornado events. Most of the tornadoes occurred in Nebraska and Iowa. On that day, a warm sitting over Nebraska while an upper level low developed in Colorado with a dryline forming along the warm front. One person was killed in this outbreak, 38 were injured and there was $175 million in damage. The worst tornado was an F4 that struck Hallam, Nebraska.

Timeline

The first tornado in this outbreak touched down at 1:15 MDT near La Grange, Wyoming. It was an F0 and did not cause any significant damage.[1] After another small tornado touched down in Colorado, several tornadoes began to form in Nebraska and Iowa during the mid–afternoon hours where they continued until around 11:00 p.m CDT.
The most damaging tornado in the outbreak first touched down at 7:30 P.M. CDT in northwestern Jefferson County. The tornado then moved to the northeast, through southern Saline County and northwestern Gage County. By the time it entered Lancaster County, it measured an F4 on the Fujita scale and the damage was 2.5 miles (4 km) wide. The tornado passed into Otoe County, disappearing just west of Palmyra at 9:10. The tornado had a path length of about 54 miles, and was on the ground for 100 minutes.

Damage

The village of Hallam, struck at 8:33 p.m., was the hardest hit. Approximately 95% of the buildings in Hallam were damaged or destroyed. There were 37 people injured and one fatality in the village. The Norris Public Schools high school building was severely damaged; its auditorium was destroyed. Straight-line winds caused damage in Princeton. Several farms and rural homes also suffered extensive damage. This storm not only derailed a freight train, but moved it 20 feet to the east.

The Diva

These storms are awesome. It's so intriguing that we are fascinated and hypnotized by their power.

but oh dear! the destruction!

Those poor people, the loss, it's so sad...

Choleric

Just had a Tornado 1/4 mile wide hit here in Omaha last night at about 2:30AM. Could have been a lot more deadly since it touched down before the sirens even went off, luckily no on was hurt, but a lot of damage.

Hypersonic

^scary stuff. I have never experienced anything like this ....only ever been in a really small earthquake. Tonados are awesome ....but man, every year you guys must wonder if your house will still be their by the end of the season Jeff. I guess it is like the hurricanes where you are Diva.

Has your family ever been directly affected by one ....like your house been hit?

Choleric

I nor my family have never been directly effect by a Tornado. This is the first big one to actually hit Omaha in a while.

Tornados rarely hit urban areas, especially Omaha since it is very hilly. Tornados tend to stick to flat wide open areas, hence why they are so prevalent out in the country and small towns.

Here's a cool picture from the weekend I found...

Choleric

Official: 4 dead after twister tears through Scout camp

(CNN) -- At least four people were killed and another 20 injured Wednesday when a tornado struck a Boy Scout camp in western Iowa, a state safety official said.

Iowa Public Safety Commissioner Gene Meyer said the four were killed by a storm that slammed into the Little Sioux Scout Ranch near the Nebraska state line.

Meyer said about 120 people, including 93 campers, were believed to be at the camp at the time of the storm.

Lloyd Roitstein, president of the Boy Scouts of Mid-America Council, said the Scouts at the ranch were advanced Scouts between 13 and 18 years old and were there for a week of training.

He said they were staying in tents and that the site is destroyed.

"All of the buildings are gone; most of the tents are gone; most of the trees are destroyed," Roitstein said. "You've got 1,800 acres of property that are destroyed right now."

The ranch, which has four cabin shelters in addition to camping space, is about 45 miles north of Omaha, Nebraska, and 45 miles south of Sioux City, Iowa. Watch Roitstein talk about the camp search and rescue »

The National Weather Service was referring to the event as a tornado by late Wednesday. It said it received a report of a touchdown at 7:35 p.m.

Officials at Burgess Memorial Hospital, about 20 miles from the ranch, said they had treated several patients injured by the storm Wednesday night and that injuries ranged from minor to serious.

A spokesman for Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City said two children had arrived at the hospital by helicopter.

"These are traumatic injuries," said spokesman Mike Krysl, who said the regional trauma center is "in disaster mode."

The twister struck as Iowa, like other Midwestern states, was dealing with severe flooding along the upper Mississippi River.

Heavy downpours hit the region over the weekend, with more thunderstorms predicted for Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

Flooding in the capital city of Des Moines and in Waterloo, Cedar Falls and other areas prompted mandatory evacuation orders and sandbagging in the state on Wednesday.

Tornado warnings were issued in areas stretching from Kansas to Minnesota.


This was at a summer camp that I frequented when I was younger when in the boy scouts, scary stuff. Just north of my hometown of Omaha, Ne.

Gullwing

Sounds like Order of the Arrow training.
What rank did you get? I made Eagle pretty much right as I turned 18.

Choleric

I pretty much quit once I got into high school I think I got to life or maybe it was star, I can't remember.

But yeah thats where they did order of the arrow training, it was also just a regional summer and spring camp in the area.

Picture of a cabin there:

Gullwing

The Order of the Arrow training was usually fixing up the summer camp before everyone came up.

Gullwing

Well one of the scouts on the news right now is tenderfoot so probably not OofA.