For a while Monday evening, the thunder and lightning seemed continuous. Then the rain poured out of the skies.
In less than two hours, nearly 1 1/2 inches of rain fell in Fremont, turning streets into streams and flooding some yards.
And we could be in for more rain today.
Storms that rolled through the area Monday knocked out power to some, and lightning did some damage.
About 40-50 homes were without power for up to
two hours, said Derril Marshall, general manager of the Fremont Department of Utilities. Marshall said the storm knocked out several fuses.
Fremont's radio stations - KHUB and KFMT - were reporting this morning that its studios on Fifth Street in the city's downtown were hit by lightning. Engineers had both stations back on the air by this morning.
Rain totals throughout the area were spotty, though.
While the Tribune's weather spotter in Fremont recorded 1.44 inches of rain, the one in North Bend had 2.21 inches. Arlington had 1.68 inches, Wahoo .40 inches, Oakland .35 inches and Hooper .25 inches.
The storms also packed high winds, the strongest - up to 82 mph - were reported in Lincoln.
Across the state, at least
45 counties were under a tornado watch or warning at some point, and a funnel cloud was spotted two miles south of Richland in Colfax County, said John Pollack, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Valley.
Winds blew a line of railroad cars in Fillmore County onto U.S. Highway 6, temporarily blocking traffic south of Fairmont. Fillmore County Emergency Management Coordinator Terry Marshall said someone forgot to lock the brakes on the cars.
Pollack said storms hit about 20 percent of the state, mostly the east and south central regions, and had moved into Iowa by 8:45 p.m.
“We may be in for some sort of repeat tomorrow,” Pollack said. “We're not done with the heat and humidity yet, which was the fuel for these storms.”
In fact, the National Weather Service forecast calls for a 90 percent chance of rain tonight. There could be widespread showers and thunderstorms in the evening, and some may be severe with locally heavy rainfall possible. The low should be in the upper 60s.
A chance of thunderstorms sticks around through the rest of the week.
On Wednesday, there is a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon with a high in the lower 80s. The chance of storms increases to 70 percent in the evening with a low in the upper 60s.
Thursday brings a 50 percent chance of storms. The high should be in the lower 80s and the low in the mid 60s.
On Friday, there is a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms during the day. The high temperature is expected to be in the lower 80s.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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