Destructive Nebraska tornado from April upgraded to strongest state twister in a decade

04:58

Homes decimated in Elkhorn, NE after monstrous, violent tornado

A tornado ripped through parts of Nebraska on Friday, causing widespread destruction in its wake. FOX Weather correspondent Nicole Valdes is on the ground in the Omaha suburb of Elkhorn, where the damage is catastrophic and the town is almost unrecognizable.

ELKHORN, Neb. — A tornado that ripped apart the town of Elkhorn, Nebraska, in late April has now been upgraded from an EF-3 rating to an even more powerful EF-4 rating, making it the strongest tornado to strike the state in 10 years.

The twister was part of a massive tornado outbreak that swept through parts of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa on April 26, with more than 100 reports of tornadoes tallied by the National Weather Service.

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Widespread and destructive damage was found in the towns of Elkhorn and Blair, where dozens of homes were leveled.

02:41

Watch: Tornado crosses Interstate 80 outside Lincoln, Nebraska

A supercell in eastern Nebraska produced a powerful tornado on Friday that crossed Interstate 80 and the event was captured on video.

The Lancaster County Sheriff's Office reported that parts of a large manufacturing facility collapsed, trapping at least 70 workers. All workers were evacuated by first responders, and three employees received treatment for injuries. 

The twister was originally given an EF-3 rating with estimated peak winds of 165 mph, but National Weather Service meteorologists in Omaha have since found additional evidence of more destructive damage worthy of a higher rating.

04:58

Nebraska brothers recount surviving EF-3 tornado

Nebraska brothers Royce and Roger Slatten joined FOX Weather after an EF-3 tornado not only destroyed their home, leaving them buried in the rubble.

Using comparisons to previous tornadoes with a similar magnitude of damage, forensic analysis and evaluations of new higher resolution overhead photography taken after the storm but before cleanup began, they now believe there were points of damage along the tornado’s track that indicate wind speeds of 170 mph.

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While that is only an increase of 5 mph, it does push the storm’s rating into the EF-4 category.

The tornado now becomes the strongest to hit Nebraska since an EF-4 tornado struck Stanton County on June 26, 2014.