Tornadoes are rare, the United States averages around 1200 a year. Think of the many thousands of storms there are each year, only a handful of these produce tornadoes. That is to say, the chance of any one town being hit by a tornado is quite low. Sometimes, a town can get unlucky and be hit with multiple tornadoes in a day. Perhaps the most famous example of this is the Grand Island "Night of the Twisters" in 1980 when a swarm of seven tornadoes impacted the town.
There were other towns also hit by multiple tornadoes on the same day. It occurred in Council Bluffs during the 4-5 p.m. hour on July 15, 1988. That hour, three tornadoes moved through the city, an F-2, an F-3, and an F-1. This storm also produced widespread damage across Omaha, plunging 40% of the city into darkness. In this installment of This Week in Weather History, we look back at the "surprise" storm which brought national attention to Council Bluffs.
THE SETUP AND TIMELINE
"Mostly Sunny today, 20 percent chance of late afternoon and evening thundershowers; high around 98°" was the weather headline in the July 15 issue of the Omaha World-Herald. It was another July day, hot and sticky. A glance at the weather map on the newspapers gave hope for those in the heat, a cold front was working its way eastward across Nebraska and would blow through that evening, cooling off the area for the next few days. What was absent from the forecast was the chance for thunderstorms, as meteorologists did not expect storms to fire along the cold front that afternoon.
By noon, that forecast had begun to change. A boundary was running ahead of the cold front, causing the winds to shift across it. Boundaries in meteorology are always interesting, as they can provide the focal points for thunderstorm development. That extra wind shift provides extra convergence along the boundary, where air clashes together and is forced upward. This boundary sat right across the Omaha metro area by the early afternoon hours.
At 1:40 pm, forecasters noted a thunderstorm developing along the Seward/Butler County line. The storm quickly intensified and by 2:14 p.m. a severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Lancaster County. At the same time, a severe thunderstorm watch was issued for the Omaha metro for those storms as they intensified. At 2:58, a severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Douglas and Sarpy County as the storms crossed through Saunders County.
By 3:30 p.m., reports of funnel clouds near Gretna and Greenwood prompted a tornado warning to be issued for Douglas and Sarpy Counties. Over the next 45 minutes, the slow-moving storm crossed over Omaha producing high winds and occasional funnel clouds. Despite reports of a few brief tornado touchdowns near downtown, no tornadoes were confirmed in Douglas County.
At 4:11 p.m., the continued reports of funnel clouds prompted the National Weather Service to issue a tornado warning for Pottawattamie County, including Council Bluffs. Just a few minutes later, at 4:14, the first of three tornadoes touched down in the city. Tornadoes 2 and 3 followed at 4:16 and 4:19 respectively. By 4:30, the tornadoes were over.
4:15 PM - Tornado touchdown in Council Bluffs at 26th St and Avenue I. Subsequent reports are sketchy but all indications are that there has been extensive tornado damage in the city of Council Bluffs.
Due to the slow-moving nature of the storms, flooding became a quick concern over the metro. By 8:00 p.m., the storm had moved out.
HIGH WINDS IN OMAHA
While no tornadoes touched down in Douglas County, tornado-like wind speeds swept through the city. The winds were estimated at over 90 mph, perhaps exceeding 100 mph in spots. At Eppley Airfield, a 92 mph wind gust was measured. This is tied for the second highest wind gust recorded at the airport, the others being a 92 mph wind gust on August 18, 2011; and first place also being a tie of 96 mph between August 23, 2016, and July 10, 2021.
Although the damage was widespread across the metro, there was a concentrated swath of significant damage which ran from around I-80 and 42nd St up to the I-480 bridge which crosses the Missouri. In this half-mile-wide swath, windows were blown out of buildings, roofs were partially torn off, and large trees were uprooted. 11 people were injured in this corridor as the storm blew through, mainly cuts from broken glass.
The storm did its work on the power infrastructure in Omaha. An estimated 75,000 people were knocked out of power in Omaha. In 1988, this was roughly 40% of the population without power at one time or another. To this day, it is OPPD's 6th largest power outage in history. If you discount winter storms, it is the 4th largest power outage. It took days for the power to be restored in some areas.
TORNADOES IN COUNCIL BLUFFS
The storms became tornadic as soon as they crossed the Missouri River into Council Bluffs. The three tornadoes were rated F-2, F-3, and F-1 in the order they touched down in. The F-2 began in the Missouri River very near the I-480 bridge, coming ashore on the Dodge Golf Course near Harrah's Casino. This tornado went northeast into the neighborhoods of western Council Bluffs, lifting near the intersection of 24th St and I-29.
Tornado number 2, the strongest of the three, touched down close to 16th St and I-29, just south of the railroad tracks. This F-3 tornado continued through other neighborhoods of western Council Bluffs before lifting near Bahnsen Park.
The third tornado, the F-1, was the southernmost of the three tornadoes. This tornado began near 24th St and I-80 and continued northeast for three miles into the business district of Council Bluffs. The tornado lifted close to the intersection of Broadway and Main St.
The damage across Council Bluffs was extensive. Over 1,000 homes were damaged, and 18 were completely destroyed. The courthouse lost its antenna, and part of the roof over the gym in the jail was torn off. Churches were damaged, and many people were left cleaning up. In Council Bluffs, 88 people were injured by the tornadoes, but fortunately, no one was killed.
