For Nebraska and Iowa, tornadoes during August are rare, but not unheard of. Usually, tornado season during August goes north of Nebraska and Iowa. States such as North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and others see their peak tornado season during the month. However, sometimes our region can get tornadoes if conditions are right.
This happened on August 26, 1928, when several storms developed and produced multiple tornadoes in and around the Omaha metro. At least four tornadoes touched down in the region, likely more. Two of these happened in the immediate metro, while two more happened in southwest Iowa. In this installment of This Week in WX History, let's go back to the roaring 20s to see the relatively unexpected tornadoes in the Omaha metro.
THE SET-UP
One of the biggest reasons we do not see August tornadoes that frequently is the jet stream is usually positioned further north than in the Spring/early Summer months. The jet stream provides the wind shear needed for organized severe storms, which is seen over the northern states.
However, the jet stream was positioned further south than usual by mid-August. A look at the tracks of low-pressure for August 1928 brought many of them over the Dakotas into Nebraska, suggesting the jet stream was more focused in the central Plains. This jet stream brought along an unusually intense low-pressure system for the period into the region. That low-pressure system brought enhanced wind shear needed for rotating storms.
Finally, there was probably some sort of boundary, which increases the turning of the winds with height, in the vicinity of the Omaha metro that afternoon. These ingredients meant when storms developed over the Omaha metro that afternoon, tornadoes were a concern.
In all, at least 4 tornadoes were recorded from this day. One of them hit the area around Fort Crook, today Offutt AFB in Bellevue. Another moved from Dundee to just west of Florence. One or more tornadoes impacted Mills County between Malvern and Glenwood and hit the western side of Oakland in Pottawattamie County. The final tornadoes hit Montgomery and Cass Counties in Iowa, the one passing near Elliott was the only deadly tornado.
"FORT CROOK" TORNADO
Established around 1895, Fort Crook became an important military hub located in eastern Sarpy County. By 1924, an airfield was established on the military base, known as Offutt Field. Nowadays, the base is known as Offutt Air Force Base. However, in 1928 it was still known as Fort Crook. West of Fort Crook, farmland could be seen for miles across Sarpy County.
The tornado touched down around 6 miles southeast of Papillion near Platteview Road and 60th St and crossed through farm fields while heading to the northeast. Today, the tornado would have gone through the neighborhoods near Capehart and 36th but then it was farmland. The tornado tore apart one home where a family was residing. The family suffered major injuries but ultimately survived. The tornado then lifted around the present-day intersection of Hwy 75 and Hwy 370.
FLORENCE TORNADO
One of the oldest communities in Nebraska, the town of Florence sits on the far northern edge of the Omaha metro along the Missouri River. In 1917, the town was annexed into the city of Omaha. The town was barely missed by a tornado to its west, but some homes to the west did not fare so lucky.
The tornado perhaps touched down in the vicinity of 40th and Hamilton and did sporadic damage through the neighborhoods of north Omaha. A church located near 40th and Sprague was moved off its foundation by two feet. A brick home under construction was damaged at 42nd and Fontanelle Boulevard. One home at 40th and Crown Point was completely destroyed, with the occupant inside injured.
The tornado skipped north, making itself known at Forest Lawn Cemetary which is just west of Florence. On the hilltop, several large gravestones were broken or cracked. The birdhouse at the Joslyn Mosuleum was destroyed, while trees were twisted and snapped across the graveyard.
North of the cemetery, the tornado ran into a home with four generations of the same family inside. The henhouse was picked up with one of the occupants inside, although she only suffered some injuries. The other family members ran for the cellar but did not make it as the tornado threw debris at them. They suffered cuts and bruises but otherwise were okay.
As the tornado continued north of Florence, one car was picked up and rolled, leaving the occupants bruised but okay. More farms along today's I-680 stretch were also damaged, but not destroyed. The tornado probably lifted somewhere north of these farms, as the damaged trail ceases before the Missouri River. No one was killed in the tornado, but around a dozen Omaha residents suffered injuries.
MALVERN-OAKLAND TORNADO
Into southwest Iowa, other storms began to drop tornadoes over Mills County into Pottawattamie County. One tornado skipped its way from near Pacific Junction to Oakland, where much of the damage was done. Founded in 1880, Oakland grew as a railroad down, achieving a population of just under 2,000 in 1920.
The tornado touched down near Pacific Junction, crossing between Glenwood and Malvern near the community of Hillsdale. Several farm houses suffered damage, but luckily no one was injured in Mills County. The tornado then perhaps lifted as it passed north of Malvern, as not much information is available about the track of this tornado.
The tornado probably touched down again either in far northern Mills County or southern Pottawattamie County, where damage was done to farms between Treynor, Carson, and Macedonia. Southeast of Treynor, a woman was injured when she was hit by falling bricks from her chimney. West of Carson, one family became trapped in their cellar when the home fell overtop the shelter. In southern Pott County, no one was seriously injured or killed.
The tornado then entered the western side of Oakland, missing much of the residental section of town. Six buildings suffered damage including a Masonic Lodge, a Blacksmith shop, a lumberyard, and a veterinary hospital. Across town, windows were broken and roofs were damaged, as well as the loss of power. In Oakland, 4 people were injured but no one was killed. The tornado lifted shortly after striking the town.
ELLIOTT TORNADO
So far, the tornadoes have not claimed any lives across the Omaha metro into southwest Iowa. Tragically, that was about to change as a tornado moved over northern Montgomery County and narrowly missed the town of Elliott. Founded in 1879, Elliott had a population of 586 residents in 1920. The tornado would miss the town, but homes to its east were not so lucky.
Touching down north of Red Oak, the tornado did its worst damage just to the east and southeast of Red Oak. This is where most of the fatalities occurred. In one home, a father and son were killed when the tornado hit. The father was tending to his farm when he saw the tornado and ran inside to warn his family. The mother made it to the cellar, but the father and son did not when the home collapsed on them. The other fatality was to an infant who was killed in a neighboring home. The fourth and final death was to an automobile driver who missed the tornado but crashed into a fallen tree.
This tornado was likely the strongest of the series of tornadoes as it crossed into southwest Cass County before lifting. Shortly after, perhaps a few other brief tornadoes occurred south of Atlantic before the whole time ended.
