Central Minnesotans Report Severe Storm Damage Saturday Morning
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - Saturday has been an active weather day for Minnesotans as rain and severe weather rumbled through, starting in the morning.
Matt and Kristin Lingle have lived in Sartell for 21 years. They say it's rare to face a severe storm in their neck of the woods.
"We often say the storms often split around St. Cloud and Sartell, this one didn't," Kristin said.
When the storm pasted through the city of Sartell, the Lingle's took their pets and went to their safe place in the basement.
"It got really dark, as I was getting things ready inside, it got dark and quiet but the wind picked up. When it started to rain, instantly the hail came down like someone was pouring a bucket," explained Kristin.
Debris and leaves could also be seen scattered through yards, and some residents shared photos of golf ball size hail. The hail reportedly ruined both roofs and cars in the area.
"The car here, you can see the roof all peppered with dents and I'm assuming it's because of the half to quarter inch [of] hail," Matt said.
Some parts of the state even reported down trees. Thomas Hane from Melrose sent WCCO a video of a large tree tipped on its side.
Near Lake Millacs, Jeffrey Lambert said downpour and winds have caused rain overflow.
"It just blew through pretty hard, had some white cast on Millacs and some branches are down," said Lambert. "The rain was coming down hard. It's overflowing gutters right now."
The morning storm has passed but now residents brace for round two this evening. Many say they plan to keep watch at a safe distance in their basements.
"It's been an interesting morning," Kristin said.
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