Another timely reminder we don't control Mother Nature

Weather officials were investigating whether a storm that hit Lincoln Sunday evening was actually a tornado, but if pictures on social media are to be believed, it probably was.

C&L Dairy Sweet workers scrambled to safety in a storm cellar just in time to avoid being killed or injured when their Pioneer Park stand was blown away, except for a cheeseburger still on a grill, according to the Lincoln Journal Star.

A major Highway 2 intersection was blocked by debris, but no injuries were reported, although a car wash, motorcycle dealership and plane at the Lincoln Airport were damaged and power knocked out to about 4,000 homes and businesses.

Thanks to a thinner population, a similar storm in our area might not even rate a mention on state or national news, but when they strike a populated area, the situation is different.

It’s all the same if you’re the one whose life and property are endangered by the special, specific conditions that create a tornado.

Such conditions bypassed most of the immediate McCook area on Sunday, but we were treated to spectacular views of towering thunderheads to the south and east.

Winter seemed to hang on longer than usual this year, but the calendar definitely indicates spring and summer storms are on their way, especially this week, according to the National Weather Service.

Make sure you know how to monitor weather conditions via broadcasts and internet services, and have plans in place for finding shelter and surviving without water or electricity for as long as needed.

The NWS offers ideas on how to “Be a Force of Nature” at https://www.weather.gov/wrn/force