Extreme Weird, Tornadic, Dusty, Fiery, Destructive Wind Storm Getting Even Worse In Plains

Massive squall with damaging winds approaching Boulder,
Colorado this morning at the start of today's destructive
Plains storm. 

As I write this at 5 p.m. EST, a speeding, hugely destructive squall line with embedded tornadoes is crossing the Missouri River from Nebraska into Iowa.

Already a powerhouse, this line of storms seems to be getting even worse, in what has so far been an incredible and destructive day in the Plains. And we're just getting started.

This state of affairs was well advertised this morning. If anything, it's even worse than expected. I've been watching today in fascination and horror as things originated in New Mexico and Colorado and swept into the Plains. 

This morning and early afternoon, winds gusted to 107 mph in Lamar, Colorado, 104 mph in Broomfield, Colorado and 100 mph in Colorado Springs. Some of the winds were accompanied by blinding snow squalls. More often, they contained blinding dust. 

The weather roared into the western Plains late this morning, stirring up dust storms with zero visibility across western and central Kansas. Countless trucks flipped on now closed Interstates. Winds gusted to 86 mph in Garden City Kansas. 

Fires broke out and raced through the Plains. Part of the town of Guymon, Oklahoma and some hamlets in Kansas were being hastily evacuated at this hour due to onrushing wildfires.

At 4 p.m. local time, a fire was menacing areas around Russell, Kansas. At the time the wind in Russell was sustained at 60 mph gusting to 100 mph. 

Then, there's the squall line and tornadoes and the straight line winds.  It quickly developed in central Nebraska and Kansas, and, as noted, was crossing the Missouri River into Iowa late this afternoon.

The squall line immediately began creating huge wind gusts and confirmed tornadoes. Winds gusted to 85 mph in Russell, Kansas and Grand Island, Nebraska when the line of storms was brand new.  Its forward speed is around 70 mph, and soon it was producing wind gusts as high as 92 mph in Bennet, Nebraska.

As I write this, everybody in Omaha, Nebraska is being told to treat the severe thunderstorm coming through as a tornado, with winds of at least 90 mph possible. Tornadoes are also reportedly spinning north and south of the city. 

This will intensify further in Iowa and probably far southern Minnesota, so this will only get worse.  The air is incredibly warm ahead of this line for this time of year.  Des Moines, Iowa got to 74 degrees this afternoon, besting the record for the hottest temperature on record there for the entire month of December by five degrees.

Damage reports are understandably scant right now as you can imagine. They're dealing with all the emergencies out there, and getting potential victims to safety, if they can. Nobody really has time to do assessments yet.

Less than a week after the extreme and tragic Kentucky tornadoes, we have another major national disaster on our hands. This, at the hands of a truly unprecedented and unnerving and extreme storm. 

I"ll have much  more on this tomorrow morning, I'm sure.