Much of Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa is under a Tornado Watch on Thursday, April 17, effective from 5 p.m. CT Thursday through midnight.

The National Weather Service issued the alert just before 5 p.m. Thursday. The potential area of impact includes Fairbury, Beatrice and Crete, stretching north through Lincoln and Omaha and into Western Iowa. 

The most recent NWS forecasts indicate Southeast Nebraska is most likely to experience storms between 7 and 8 p.m. Thursday. A tornado watch is not as serious as a tornado warning, but appropriate safety measures should still be utilized. 

We will update this story if more information becomes available. 

The following is Thursday's complete alert from the National Weather Service, reprinted in full.

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TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE AREA.....
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED TORNADO WATCH 141 IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT TONIGHT FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS
 
IN IOWA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 8 COUNTIES:
 
IN SOUTHWEST IOWA
FREMONT HARRISON MILLS
MONTGOMERY PAGE POTTAWATTAMIE
SHELBY
 
IN WEST CENTRAL IOWA
MONONA
 
IN NEBRASKA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 20 COUNTIES:
 
IN EAST CENTRAL NEBRASKA
BURT BUTLER DODGE
DOUGLAS SARPY SAUNDERS
WASHINGTON
 
IN NORTHEAST NEBRASKA
COLFAX CUMING PLATTE
STANTON THURSTON
 
IN SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA
CASS GAGE JEFFERSON
JOHNSON LANCASTER OTOE
SALINE SEWARD
 
THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF ASHLAND, BEATRICE, BELLEVUE, BLAIR,
CLARINDA, COLUMBUS, COUNCIL BLUFFS, CRETE, DAVID CITY, DECATUR,
DUNLAP, FAIRBURY, FARRAGUT, FREMONT, GLENWOOD, HAMBURG, HARLAN,
LA VISTA, LINCOLN, LOGAN, LYONS, MACY, MAPLETON, MILFORD,
MISSOURI VALLEY, NEBRASKA CITY, OAKLAND, OMAHA, ONAWA, PAPILLION,
PENDER, PLATTSMOUTH, RED OAK, SCHUYLER, SEWARD, SHENANDOAH,
SIDNEY, STANTON, STERLING, TABOR, TECUMSEH, TEKAMAH, WAHOO,
WALTHILL, WEST POINT, WILBER, WINNEBAGO, WISNER, WOODBINE,
AND YUTAN.