Several tornadoes caused destruction in Nebraska last week. Now, officials say the twister that tore up parts of Jefferson County last Thursday night is now being classified toward the lower end of the enhanced Fujita scale for tornado strength.
Brian Smith is a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Valley. He says the highest rating for the twister was E-F-2, just west of the airport and west of Fairbury. At its peak, Smith says the tornado had wind speeds between 111 and 135-miles per hour.
He says the tornado had a fairly long continuous track that entered Nebraska near the community of Reynolds. Smith says the tornado went through Jefferson and Thayer counties, then into Kansas, making the total track up to 50 miles long, perhaps longer. Smith says it appears the tornado may have pulled back up into the clouds about five miles northeast of Fairbury.
Thanks to Doug Kennedy, KWBE, Beatrice