Two years ago: Epic wind event in Nebraska
See videos and photos of the epic wind storm that hit the Lincoln area two years ago.
High winds
A construction crane stands still as high winds move through Lincoln on Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021.
Tree down
A tree was down at 4 p.m. Wednesday on 19th Street near Van Dorn.
Watch Now: Storm moves through Lincoln
Robinson Elementary School, 12.15
A view of stormy skies over the construction of Robinson Elementary School on Wednesday, with high winds potentially ripping insulation off the roof the under-construction school a worry for Scott Wieskamp, Lincoln Public Schools' director of operations.
Fence
A fence in Lincoln was knocked over by the wind Monday afternoon.
Watch now: December storm rolls through Lincoln
Tree uprooted on Sheridan Boulevard
Watch: High wind warning storm passes through Lincoln
High winds roll through downtown Omaha
121621-owh-new-wind-ar02
Husker running back Markese Stepp watches as a storm passes through Lincoln on Wednesday.
121621-owh-new-wind-ar03
A storm approaches Lincoln on Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021.
121621-owh-new-wind-pic-cm001
Ominous clouds approach from the west as viewed from Skyline Drive on Wednesday.
Watch Now: High-wind storm in Lincoln
Weather, 12.15
LINCOLN, NEB. - 12/15/2021 - City workers remove a tree fallen on a car after the strom, Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021, at 13th and Pawnee Streets. JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Weather, 12.15
LINCOLN, NEB. - 12/15/2021 - City workers remove a tree fallen on a car after the strom, Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021, at 13th and Pawnee Streets. JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Weather, 12.15
City workers remove a tree that toppled onto a car parked near 13th and Pawnee streets during Wednesday's storm.
Watch Now: Time-lapse of the storm rolling into Lincoln
Severe weather damage
Damage to a home near Ithaca on Wednesday.
Severe weather damage
Damage to a home near Ithaca on Wednesday.
Severe weather damage
Damage to a home near Ithaca on Wednesday.
Severe weather damage
A suspected tornado destroyed the garage on a Ithaca farmstead, tossing the remnants onto the roof of a nearby home. Tornadoes, rare events in December in Nebraska, were reported from near Hastings, in northeast Nebraska near Columbus and north of Lincoln.
High winds
Lincoln, NE - 12/15/2021 - Winds knocked over a hackberry tree in Antelope Park on Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
High winds
Neighbors check out downed trees on Sheridan Boulevard near Bradfield Drive on Wednesday.
Watch Now: Lincoln storms
High winds
Lincoln, NE - 12/15/2021 - Downed trees block the sidewalk on Sheridan Boulevard near Bradfield Drive on Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
Watch Now: Omaha storms
Tree down
In the aftermath of the strong winds and storms Wednesday afternoon, a large tree and a street sign were knocked down along 33rd Avenue between 31st and 34th streets in Columbus.
Watch Now: West Point storms
Camper
A camper at a residence on 30th Avenue in Columbus, near Lost Creek School, is turned on its side following strong storms and wind Wednesday afternoon.
Debris
Debris from strong storms and wind Wednesday afternoon was seen along 33rd Avenue in Columbus.
Loup
Utility crews could be seen along 38th Street near Lost Creek School in Columbus on Wednesday following severe storms and strong winds. Some Loup Public Power customers lost power after the storm.
Watch Now: Columbus storms
Watch Now: Kearney storms
Watch Now: Fremont storms
Watch Now: South Sioux City storms
Watch Now: Papillion storms
Watch Now: State Patrol cruiser captures semi tipping over near Lincoln
Watch Now: Severe storms in Nebraska
See videos and photos of the epic wind storm that hit the Lincoln area two years ago.
Wednesday's fast-moving storm would have likely driven a blizzard had it taken place in mid-winter, Martha Shulski, Nebraska's state climatologist, said.
“It was very sad when I drove down the drive and the sheds were flattened, vehicles were smashed, windows broken out, sheep running all over," daughter Tonya Brester said. “It was just sickening!”
Tornadoes touched Kearney, Franklin, Adams, Webster, Hall, Hamilton, Polk, Platte, Colfax, Cuming, Saunders, Cass, Pawnee and Otoe counties, but no serious injuries have been reported.
Record-setting tornadoes left a trail of damage across the central U.S. In Nebraska, the state's largest farm insurer said Dec. 15 will go down as the biggest December storm loss in 130 years.
Nebraska was touched by three billion-dollar weather disasters: Rolling blackouts from the February cold; power outages from a July windstorm; and a historic December tornado outbreak and windstorm.
Nebraska sustained at least $6.79 million in damage to public infrastructure in December's unprecedented storms, according to an appeal by the state's congressional delegation to President Joe Biden.
Strong winds are a normal weather trait in the Great Plains, so breezy conditions are no surprise this time of year. What has been surprising has been the strength and relentlessness of the wind.
Several areas of the state saw wind gusts of over 80 mph, leading to downed trees and power poles, overturned trucks and center pivots, and damage to structures, including the rodeo grounds in Burwell.
As of Nov. 30, police had fielded 788 reports of stolen vehicles in Lincoln — a figure that marks the sixth-consecutive year of increasing car thefts, according to police data.
Edward "Eddie" Williams and Antonio Shannon both agreed to a federal sentence between 10 and 15 years as part of their plea agreements.
Omaha is requesting an evidentiary hearing in its bid for a new federal civil trial. Jurors earlier decided against the city and in favor of a former police captain.
Insuring a house in Nebraska is twice as expensive as the national average, according to Insurify.
