Thousands remain without power in MN after storms

Severe storms cause downed trees, power outages

Two rounds of severe storms packed a punch in the Twin Cities metro and central Minnesota, leaving thousands without power and others dealing with storm damage and downed trees. FOX 9's Bill Keller has more.

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. (FOX 9) - Two rounds of severe storms that brought strong winds and heavy rain Monday into Tuesday have caused damage in some areas, and a power outage for thousands of Xcel Energy customers.

What we know

Xcel Energy said Tuesday its crews were working to assess damage and restore power to about 150,000 customers in the Twin Cities Metro and western Wisconsin.

The storms caused widespread damage, including downed trees and power lines, Xcel says. Crews worked overnight to restore power for 50,000 of the 87,000 customers affected by the first round of severe storms on Monday.

Xcel Energy says it anticipates restoring power for about half of the 150,000 affected customers on Tuesday. The remaining customers will have power restored by Thursday evening.

As of 4 p.m. on Tuesday, there were still nearly 60,000 customers without power in Minnesota and about 2,700 in Wisconsin.

Storm strength

Storms quickly developed Monday afternoon after the warmest day so far in the Twin Cities, where the heat index topped 110 degrees in some areas. The exploding storms quickly pushed eastward across the Twin Cities metro, bringing plenty of wind and rain, with 60+ mph gusts in the metro and 70+ mph gusts just outside the Twin Cities core in parts of Carver County, and then another pocket from Cambridge to the Rush City areas.

It was quick-hitting, with most areas getting no more than 20 minutes of heavy rain, but it dropped up to an inch in some spots. Then, there was a lull through much of the night before another quickly moving line intensified as it pushed into and through the metro with a forward speed of nearly 70mph.

The heaviest rain on Tuesday morning was even faster than on Monday, with downpours lasting 10 or 15 minutes at most. Now, the cleanup with tens of thousands without power as of mid-morning on Tuesday.

State Fair delayed

The storms also rolled through the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, causing a delay in attendees being admitted into the fair so officials could assess damage on Tuesday morning.

Storm damage delays MN fairgrounds opening

Another round of severe storms on Tuesday morning packed a punch in the Twin Cities metro with strong winds and heavy rain. Minnesota State Fair officials delayed opening the fairgrounds on Tuesday morning to assess the damage and clean up debris.