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10 months ago
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A severe weather outbreak swept across Minnesota on Saturday night and into early Sunday, generating multiple confirmed tornadoes and widespread damage. The most concentrated activity occurred in Carver County, where five Doppler-confirmed tornadoes struck near Victoria, Waconia (two), Cologne, and St. Bonifacius around dawn Sunday. Earlier Saturday evening, two separate tornadoes were observed near Canby in far western Minnesota.
Multiple confirmed touchdowns, metro area impacts
The storms brought destructive winds, torrential rain, and intense lightning, leading to reports of downed trees, including significant blockages on Highway 7 near Victoria. Trained spotters also confirmed a tornado touchdown near Hydes Lake, northeast of Norwood Young America, just before 12:30 am Sunday. The National Weather Service is actively surveying the damage to officially confirm the total number of tornadoes produced by the volatile system.
The relentless storms prompted a series of urgent warnings across the state, particularly impacting the Twin Cities metro area as the night progressed. A tornado warning for Hennepin County expired at 1 am Sunday, but a severe thunderstorm warning remained active for Minneapolis and St. Paul until 1:15 am, bringing strong winds and heavy rain.
Shortly after, a new severe thunderstorm warning was issued until 2 am for communities east of St. Paul, including North St. Paul, Oakdale, Woodbury, and Cottage Grove. Reports of damage, primarily fallen trees, emerged from within the metro area as the powerful storm system pushed through. Fortunately, despite the confirmed touchdowns and visible damage captured in numerous videos, no injuries were reported. The main storm system finally weakened and exited the Twin Cities around 2 am.
Widespread power loss and flooding follow severe storms
The aftermath of the violent storms includes significant disruption for thousands of residents. Utility companies, including Xcel Energy, reported early Sunday that over 50,000 customers were left without power, with the heaviest concentration of outages occurring in the western Twin Cities suburbs. Beyond the immediate tornado damage and wind impacts, the torrential rains triggered flash flood warnings.
Street flooding was documented in Buffalo and Rockford by midnight, and the deluge caused several rivers across the state to rise above flood stage. Forecasters warn these rivers are expected to continue rising in the coming days, posing an ongoing flood threat.
Reports of downed trees and storm damage also extended to other communities like St. Michael, Renville, and areas south of Murdock, highlighting the broad reach of the severe weather event that affected eastern South Dakota and western Minnesota.
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