EF2 tornado in Thurston County, Nebraska

Tornado damage started in Thurston County approximately 3 miles southwest of Macy in rural areas. The tornado then tracked northeast through Macy. The tornado weakened in intensity as it tracked northeast from the edge of Macy across highway 75 and moved toward the Missouri River. The damage in Macy varied in width from 100 to 250 yards wide. There were a total of 6 homes that were considered to have recieved heavy damage or destroyed and can not be occupied. There were a total of 12 homes and 1 business that received at least minor damage. Numerous vehicles were damaged and there were two minor injuries. Outside of Macy, the majority of the damage was to trees but some farmsteads received minor damage to buildings.

The same powerful storm system that produced severe weather across eastern Nebraska on October 3rd remain in the area on the 4th. A strong area of low pressure moved from eastern Colorado into southern South Dakota during the day. As this occurred, a dry line was sweeping across central and into eastern Nebraska. A warm front continued to lift north into northeast Nebraska and western Iowa by late afternoon. With unseasonably warm and moist air in the region the atmosphere became strongly unstable. This instability coupled with a strong wind field associated with the powerful storm system and created and environment favorable for significant severe weather. Supercells developed near the intersection of the dry line and warm front over northeast Nebraska during the afternoon and tracked northeast. The supercells were responsible for large hail, damaging winds, and significant tornadoes. Other isolated thunderstorms developed south along the dry line into western Iowa producing very large hail and damaging winds during the evening of the 4th.