Severe thunderstorms packed a punch throughout the Tuesday knocking out power, downing trees and causing flash flooding.
The National Weather Service reported wind gusts of more than 70 ph in the west metro.
NWS says the storms knocked down trees up to 2 feet in diameter between Cold Spring and Kimball as they moved through central Minnesota. Widespread tree damage was reported between South Haven and Annandale, where gusts topped 71 mph. A pole barn was blown down near Becker.
There were reports of large hail and downed trees in that area.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touched down north of Appleton in Swift County in western Minnesota around 3 p.m. There were no immediate reports of damage.
Flash Flooding Reports
A flash flood warning was issued for Anoka, Hennepin and Ramsey counties.
Flooding also became an issue in some parts of the metro. The National Weather Service reported that the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office helped people needing rescue from their vehicles in the Roseville area. Highway 36 and Lexington Avenue was one area of concern.
According to the National Weather Service, preliminary precipitation totals throughout the state revealed Morris was one city affected by the heaviest rainfall – 5 inches were reported in that area.
Power Outages
At roughly 11 p.m., Xcel Energy reported 137,000 customers were without power in the Twin Cities and a swath of central Minnesota. The utility reported outages from Paynesville in central Minnesota through the Twin Cities to the state’s eastern border on the St. Croix River.
Nate Leding & Rebecca Omastiak
Updated: 07/06/2016 5:30 AM
Created: 07/05/2016 7:07 AM
Picture: Stephn Larsen
