OMAHA, Neb. (KLKN) – The National Weather Service confirmed on Sunday morning that a 96mph wind gust did occur at Omaha Eppley Airfield during Friday night’s storms. The ASOS (Automated Surface Observing System) station at Eppley Airfield reported a 96mph wind gust at 12:20 AM Saturday.
While the 96mph gust was occurring, the sustained wind speed clocked in at 63mph. Whereas a wind gust is briefer, the sustained wind speed is the average wind speed over a two-minute period. This means that for a two-minute period, the average wind speed was 63mph at Eppley Airfield around 12:20 AM Saturday.
Another 90mph gust was recorded at 12:31 AM Saturday, with gusts above 60mph being observed up until 12:42 AM.
The intense wind stemmed from an organized complex of thunderstorms. Meteorologists refer to this type of storm as a Mesoscale Convective System – or an “MCS” for short. Radar imagery at 12:20 AM shows the MCS knocking on Eppley airfield’s doorstep. The extreme winds arrived right as the heavy rain did.
There were also reports of damage at the airport as a result of these winds. The National Weather Service issued a storm report stating that “…a small FedEx cargo aircraft was blown across [the] tarmac and onto its side along the airport property fence line.” This occurred shortly after 12:20 AM Saturday.
Lincoln fared better in terms of winds on Friday night. Lincoln Municipal Airport recorded a 64mph gust at 12:16 AM Saturday – the highest gust of the evening.
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Originally Appeared Here