Morning Storms Drop Hail, Knock Out Power
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Xcel Energy said nearly 23,000 people were without power in the Twin Cities metro area after severe thunderstorms rolled through Thursday morning. As of 3 p.m., though, it had been restored for all but a few hundred customers.
Some flights were delayed as a result of the storms at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
Ping-pong or golf ball-sized hail was reported in the northwest metro area, with some viewers sending in pictures of hail in excess of those sizes. In towns such as Elk River and Annandale, hail was nearly golf ball size. Also reported were gusts of wind upwards of 40 to 50 miles per hour.
In certain parts of Minneapolis, like 37th Avenue NE, trees toppled over and were missing branches.
Gallery: Hail, Storms In Twin Cities
Dorothy Hughes came home on Thursday to find a tree atop the SUV parked outside her house.
There were scattered trees down in the town of Sacred Heart, along Highway 212 in Renville County. The storms also caused them to lose power.
The National Weather Service issued a number of severe thunderstorm warnings Thursday morning, and many places throughout the state were also under severe thunderstorm watches.
In Mounds View, a dump truck hauling fill ended up tangled in power lines. The driver forgot to put the box down and it nearly knocked down a pole.
Xcel Energy helped get the driver out safely.
