Four notable things about the Plains Cyclone outbreak

Meanwhile, more severe weather is expected after Monday's holiday. Strong storms are possible from northern Texas to southern Minnesota tuesday And Wednesday.

Let's break down what was most notable in the outbreak from Thursday through Sunday:

More than 140 cyclones were reported in four days

We know that north of 100 tornadoes hit the central states between Thursday and Sunday, but most were on Friday and Saturday.

Only 10 tornadoes — mostly brief « landscapes » that develop differently than typical tornadoes — were on Thursday, mostly between eastern Colorado and central Oklahoma. But Friday witnessed 88 tornadoes — most in eastern Nebraska and southwestern Iowa, with an additional 42 on Saturday, mostly in Oklahoma. A pair of tornadoes each hit Oklahoma and Arkansas on Sunday.

These tornado counts are preliminary because storm surveys are still underway, and it will take a few days for the National Weather Service offices to determine final numbers. (Sometimes twisters are counted twice, so initial reported totals are overestimated.)

A gathering of hurricanes He kept forecasters busy at the weather service. Released by the company Over 250 tornado warnings Fridays and Saturdays only.

At least three tornadoes reached EF3 or greater intensity

Tornadoes are rated on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale from 0 to 5. It will take two to three more days for the weather service to finalize the EF estimates and determine the length and width of the track.

However, the agency has already confirmed that at least three tornadoes have reached EF3 or greater strength:

• Marietta, Okla.: Marietta is on Interstate 35 in south-central Oklahoma, where a violent tornado He carved a path across the highway And Vandalized Dollar Tree Distribution Center. Weather Service It was announced on Monday afternoon The initial EF3 rating assigned to the twister was upgraded to « low-end EF4 ».
• Sulphur, Okla.: Sulfur was hit by a major cyclone and then threatened by another cyclone on Saturday night. The weather service confirmed that at least An EF3 tornado has sustained winds of 136 to 165 mph.
• A big storm hit Bennington et al Elkhorn In Nebraska At least EF3 was in the northwest part of the Omaha metro area, according to the weather service.

Additional tornadoes over south-central Oklahoma may be in the EF3 to EF4 range, depending on how high radar indicates the debris was lifted.

Also, the Harlan, Iowa, tornado – this one was ripped apart, too All Killed one man there – 224 mph winds from the ground. Based on that Mobile Doppler radar data were collected By the Doppler on Wheels Research Group. Such winds are equivalent to those expected from an EF5 tornado. However, a tornado would not receive an EF5 rating because the winds measured by radar were not at ground level. Also, the EF scale is a damage scale – not a wind scale. Experts examining the damage must find evidence of EF5 destruction — which occurs in less than one-tenth percent of all twisters.

Semi-trucks were smashed

In the midst of the eruption, incidents of semi-trucks being swept away or blown away by the hurricane's winds are common.

There was a semi truck Thrown on the road Seward and David City, Neb. In between, strong winds blow on the western side of a cyclone. A storm chaser who sails toward a hurricane He narrowly escaped death and succumbed at the last minute In order to avoid the truck coming upside down and falling, it is instead pushed up an embankment by the truck.

(I was about 150 feet south myself and saw it unfold. Watch the video above.)

A semi trailer fell from the sky on Interstate 35 in Marietta, Okla., Saturday night.

Compared to past outbreaks that produced more than 100 tornadoes, the death toll of five tornadoes, while tragic, was relatively low.

Part of the reason? Good forecasts so people were warned and prepared.

The Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center is highlighting the potential for tornadoes in central Oklahoma on Saturday. Six days in advance. On the morning of the event, it drew a 4 out of 5 rating for violent storms in the zone most prone to destructive tornadoes.

As the tornado began to form, early warnings from the Weather Service office in Norman, Okla., provided plenty of lead time, allowing residents enough time to seek shelter.

Friday's forecast for tornadoes in eastern Nebraska and southwestern Iowa was similarly prescient in highlighting the area at greatest risk for violent storms (an argument could be made that the risk level should be higher than Category 3).

Weather service offices in Hastings, Neb., Omaha and Des Moines also gave the tornado enough time to develop. In Elkhorn, Neb., Residents had a 34-minute warning.

Jason Samenow contributed to this report.