Minnesota Weather: Severe Storms And Possible Tornadoes Leave Behind Damage
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - Severe weather and apparent tornadoes swept through Minnesota on Friday night, leaving damage throughout the state.
In Spicer, the unconfirmed tornado touched down on Green Lake in the early evening. It spiraled across the water and left damage along the lakeshore; flipping boats, tipping docks, and pushing some other docks back on to shore.
Another apparent tornado was spotted in the fields near Brownton - an hour west of the metro area.
The thunderstorms also crossed the metro around 8 p.m. At one point, a bolt of lightning struck a transformer, causing a tree fire. The storm also left over 54,000 people in the area without power. As of 9 a.m. on Saturday, Xcel Energy crews were working to restore power for the remaining 24,000 customers who still did not any.
The storm left damage across the metro area, especially in the north.
"The sky was really yellow," said Matt Pletcher on Friday night. "And I looked out to our front yard, everything seemed fine, then we looked out the side and saw this massive tree down on top of one of our cars." He also said a power line came down with that tree.
Around noon on Saturday, Crystal police reported many wires were down following the storm.
Over 112 severe weather reports were submitted overnight, many of which documented severe winds, hail, flash floods, and funnel clouds.
According to Meteorologist Mike Augustyniak, Saturday will see some clouds roll in through the state, with potential severe weather developing in northern Minnesota in the evening.
