Dust Bowl Days Returning? Major Damage From December Wind

The Dust Bowl was the name given to the drought-stricken Southern Plains region of the United States, which suffered severe dust storms during a dry period in the 1930s. As high winds and choking dust swept the region from Texas to Nebraska, people and livestock were killed and crops failed across the entire region.

There has always been a threat of those days returning, due in part to the loss of grassland, wooded areas, and more tilled acres in our windy part of the country. 

On Wednesday, Dec. 15, the Dorchester area and all of central and southeastern Nebraska got a taste of the Dust Bowl once again as a powerful storm system blew through the Great Plains and Midwest, combining with unusually warm temperatures to close highways and prompt numerous tornado warnings.

In Dorchester and the surrounding area, there are reports of lost buildings, roof damage, downed trees, and other wind-related damage. Dorchester and other communities have lost power.

At the Lincoln Airport, a 93 mph wind gust was recorded. A tornado was spotted north of Crete.

High wind warnings and a blowing dust advisory remain in effect until later tonight for our area.

The photo above shows a weather satellite-captured image of the storm system over the central U.S. on Wednesday afternoon shortly before sunset. Severe thunderstorms can be seen over eastern Kansas and eastern Nebraska, but the brown clouds over central and southwestern Kansas are actually dust being picked up by extreme winds. When this satellite image was captured, winds across this portion of Kansas were howling between 55 mph and 100 mph. 

Developing.....