Power Outage in Pierce, NE

Emergency manager reported trees down a few power poles snapped.

The winds downed trees and powers lines.

An EF1 tornado was determined to cause damage from southeast of Pierce to east of Osmond. The initial damage from the tornado was noted near 522nd Avenue and 852nd Street where trees were uprooted. The tornado tracked north northwest striking a farm after it crossed Highway 98 destroying farm outbuildings and uprooting trees in the area. The tornado uprooted or caused other tree damage along its path and destroyed other farm outbuildings and flipped center pivots. In one area along its path the track became visible in a corn field. Some power poles were downed and in one case farm equipment was tossed over 300 yards while another farmstead had its debris carried nearly a quarter of a mile to the northwest. In addition, a steel bin was blown about 300 feet onto Highway 81 near the Jct. with Old Highway 98 where a car hit it injuring a man and totaling his car. A small part of a roof of a home of another farmstead was removed. A large chicken barn near Old Highway 98 had its roof blown off. The tornado appeared to weaken as it moved north toward 864th Road overturning more pivots and producing tree damage before ending near that area.

An EF1 tornado was determined to cause damage from southeast of Pierce to east of Osmond. The initial damage from the tornado was noted near 522nd Avenue and 852nd Street where trees were uprooted. The tornado tracked north northwest striking a farm after it crossed Highway 98 destroying farm outbuildings and uprooting trees in the area. The tornado uprooted or caused other tree damage along its path and destroyed other farm outbuildings and flipped center pivots. In one area along its path the track became visible in a corn field. Some power poles were downed and in one case farm equipment was tossed over 300 yards while another farmstead had its debris carried nearly a quarter of a mile to the northwest. In addition, a steel bin was blown about 300 feet onto Highway 81 near the Jct. with Old Highway 98 where a car hit it injuring a man and totaling his car. A small part of a roof of a home of another farmstead was removed. A large chicken barn near Old Highway 98 had its roof blown off. The tornado appeared to weaken as it moved north toward 864th Road overturning more pivots and producing tree damage before ending near that area.

Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at over 70 mph caused significant tree and outbuilding damage from around 2 miles southwest of Willow Lake through Pierce and a little northwest of town. A house also lost part of its roof south of Willow Lake. Downed power lines also caused loss of power in the area. The damage could have been from a possible tornado that a NWS storm assessment team determined to track near this area.

Thunderstorm winds estimated at around 70 mph caused extensive damage in and near Pierce. Buildings sustained roof damage and numerous trees were downed which also downed some power lines. Especially hard hit was Gilman Park where one large cottonwood fell on the park shelter house destroying it. About 15 dump-truck loads of cut-up trees and branches were hauled away from the park alone. A center pivot was flipped and other personal property damage was noted. Several roads were blocked by the fallen trees. According to the park superintendent the damage was mainly in a 5-mile-by-3 mile area. Crops in the area also sustained damage due wind driven hail that was up to 1 inch in diameter.

Freezing rain fell across the area for a while during the evening of March 9th followed by plunging temperatures and gusty North winds as an arctic air mass plunged into the region. Although most ice accumulations were under 1/4 inch, the combination of ice and wind gusts of 40 mph or more caused scattered power outages and closed a few schools and roads in the area.

Large tree limbs and power lines were downed in the Pierce area by thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at over 60 mph.

Freezing rain accumulated between 1/2 and 3/4 of an inch over much of the county. The icing downed tree limbs and caused scattered power outages.

Freezing rain accumulated between 1/2 inch and 1 inch over much of the county. The combination of the ice, and a period of light sleet and snow, downed tree limbs and power lines across the county. Power was knocked out at some locations, in some instances for up to 10 days. Around 400 to 500 poles were downed from Pierce county west and southwest into Antelope and Boone counties. The storm caused around $750 thousand worth of damage to utility companies in the county.