EF3 tornado in Lincoln County, Nebraska

A tornado touched down four and a half miles west of North Platte just south of west Front street and traveled north northeast. The tornado damage was extensive to include two homes destroyed and two additional homes with significant damage from trees blown over and windows blown out. Two residents were injured in their homes. As the tornado traveled north across the Union Pacific Bailey Yards, an estimated 15 tanker cars were blown over and debris was scattered northeast for one and a half miles. A center pivot irrigation system was overturned north of Highway 30 before the tornado lifted five and a half miles northwest of North Platte.

A large upper level trough of low pressure emerged onto the Central Plains on March 18th, 2012. Isolated severe thunderstorms developed during the evening hours, where one isolated severe thunderstorm produced several tornadoes from central Lincoln County north into eastern Cherry County. One of the tornadoes produced significant damage near North Platte, in central Lincoln County. Additional damage was reported north in southeast McPherson County in the Ringgold area.