Strong thunderstorms moved through eastern Nebraska Wednesday morning, leaving thousands of people without power for several hours.
As of 8 a.m., Lincoln Electric System reported about 2,200 people were without power, the vast majority of them in an area bordered by 20th, 33rd and Van Dorn streets and Nebraska Parkway. LES said on Twitter that crews had been dispatched to that area and were working on restoring power. However, by 10 a.m., LES reported that the number of remaining power outages was below 100.
Lancaster County was among several counties in eastern Nebraska that were in severe thunderstorm warnings at some point Wednesday morning. The Lincoln Airport reported 0.16 inches of rain by 9 a.m.
Storms caused more havoc north of Lincoln. More than 30,000 people lost power at some point Wednesday morning in the Omaha area after strong storms rolled through. By 4 p.m., there were still more than 5,500 people without electricity.
Wednesday afternoon, Nebraska Public Power District announced it was sending a 24-member crew to help the Omaha Public Power District restore power to its customers.
The National Weather Service said wind gusts reached up to 70 mph in Valley, 74 mph in Omaha and 82 mph in the village of Uhling in Dodge County. The Lincoln Airport reported a gust of 60 miles per hour , and a gust of 65 mph was reported near Martell.
Extensive tree damage was reported in Fremont, Fort Calhoun and Wayne.