Wednesday Storms Pummel Trees, Power Lines Over Eastern Nebraska

A large tree sits in the middle of the street in a neighborhood south of downtown Lincoln on Wed. July 31, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Emily Copper)

LINCOLN–(KFOR Aug. 1)–Severe storms on Wednesday afternoon and evening left behind widespread tree damage, knocking out power about 30,000 Lincoln Electric System at the height of the storm.

A view looking east from near 40th and “O” Street that shows a large tree knocked over into the westbound lanes of “O” Street. (Photo Courtesy of Lakeisha Kennedy)

As of 7am Thursday, there were 6,800 Lincoln Electric System customers without power. If you have an outage and need to report it, call Lincoln Electric System at 888-365-2412 or visit LES.com.

Tree damage near 13th and Lincoln Mall from Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (Courtesy of Emily Copper)

The Omaha metro area got hit hard again by the same storm system that moved through the Lincoln area on Wednesday. More than 200,000 OPPD customers had no power because of the storm. Winds of 90 mph were reported at Omaha’s Eppley Airfield and in western Iowa, a confirmed tornado was spotted near Council Bluffs Airport. No immediate reports of any injuries.

On Thursday morning, the City of Lincoln sent an update from Lincoln Transportation and Utilities regarding the city’s water capacity. LTU officials say Lincoln has a sufficient capacity for normal water use, but continue to encourage voluntary outdoor water conservation at this time. Lincoln has 60% of its wellfield capacity restored and crews continue to work with OPPD to restore power to the rest of Lincoln’s wellfield in Ashland.