VIOLENT Tornado Outbreak: April 26, 2024 Western Iowa
Friday, April 26, 2024 was unlike anything I have ever chased before. We witnessed five significant tornadoes within the span of 1.5 hours from Neola, Minden, Shelby, Tennant, Harlan, and Manilla. The Minden to Manilla tornado was one of the most violent tornadoes I have ever seen. Debris was getting thrown everywhere. Houses, farmsteads, and silos were severely damaged and destroyed. Trees were snapped and shaved off at the top. I saw a propane tank spewing fuel. The air smelled of fresh earth and natural gas from lines that had been ruptured. This supercell was part of a series of storms that produced catastrophic tornadoes in eastern Nebraska including the Lincoln and Omaha metro areas. We were able to live stream one of the tornadoes on KCCI’s 6pm news and we caught another one just before 7pm that rapidly developed literally in the middle of the damage path from an earlier tornado.