Sunday Storms May Have Spawned 4 Tornado Touchdowns
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) — Forecasters say at least four unconfirmed tornadoes may have touched down in western Minnesota when strong storms moved through the state.
There will be a big cleanup in the Brainerd Lakes area because of a number of big trees coming down during Monday night's storm. The storms damaged the stands at Brainerd International Raceway and left a section in a pile of twisted metal.
The damage at Cragun's Resort included several vintage cars that were on site for the Annual Car Get-Together, being held at the resort by the Early V-8 Club of the Twin Cities. Viewer Sandy Nielsen told WCCO her husband's 1950 Mercury was badly damaged after a tree fell on it Sunday night.
Crow Wing County authorities said a number of buildings and vehicles were damaged, with the heaviest hits sustained mainly on the west side of the county from Baxter to Pequot Lakes. They reported some roads were still impassable and many were still without power.
WATCH: John Lauritsen reports on the damage throughout Crow Wing County.
Madden's Gull Lake resort will be closed for at least two weeks so staff can assess the damage and make repairs. From the air, it's apparent that the roof of one of the buildings is gone. Trees are down all over the property.
Madden's says its evacuation plan worked well last night and no one was hurt. Guests with upcoming reservations can call and check on their status.
WATCH: Reg Chapman takes a look at what cabin owners are dealing with in Brainerd.
The Grand View Lodge resort had reports of several trees down and some minor damage. Cragun's Resort nearby also had very heavy rain and reports of trees down due to the storms.
More than 100 young campers are safe after strong storms left a trail of damage near Brainerd.
Legionville Camp president Wayne Gilbertson says nearly 140 campers and staff took shelter in their dorms when the storms blew through Sunday evening. Gilbertson says the dorms are half underground so they serve as storm shelters.
He says the camp looks like a "war zone" with 50 to 60 trees down along with numerous power poles and power lines on the property. A tree also went through the roof of the camp's education building. Gilbertson says American Legion family members have been offering to help with cleaning up the storm damage.
WATCH: A scoreboard and bleachers were victims of the harsh winds at the Brainerd International Raceway.
Sunday's hot, sticky weather gave way to storms that toppled trees and power lines. The National Weather Service said Monday the four unconfirmed tornadoes were in Grant, Wilkin and Otter Tail counties.
Wind gusts reached 80 mph in Douglas and Morrison counties. A number of WCCO viewers and listeners sent in pictures from those areas.
GALLERY: Sunday's Severe Weather
By the time the storms rolled through the Twin Cities close to midnight, the winds were not as strong as they were further north. The metro area saw a significant amount of rain and lightning, though.
Temperatures could reach the upper 80s Monday, but the heat index should stay in the lower 90s.
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