Storms down trees, rip off roofs in Minnesota, Wisconsin

(FOX 9) - Friday and Saturday's storms packed a punch, bringing strong winds, hail and lightning, while leaving behind plenty of damage from the Twin Cities Metro, to central Minnesota, with the worst-hit areas in western Wisconsin.

In New Hope, Minn., those gusts knocked down a tree that came dangerously close to crushing a home.

"We are very thankful that God was watching over us today," said Jessica Morrisette. "And took care of my family because this is a lot of damage."

Jessica says her family had just woken up and were all in their living room – on that side of the house – when the wind gust out of nowhere.

"All a sudden, we just heard a big boom, and we looked outside and the tree was down, and it took our power lines down," she said.

The tree landed across the driveway, landing on the cars, but sparing the house and the detached garage.

Farther east, in Balsam Lake, Wis., residents saw the brunt of the damage. Photos sent to us from Ashley O'Connell show several trees down, blocking roads and a number now resting on their cabin after strong winds blew them over Friday night.

In White Ash Lake, Wis., Porter Million sent us photos of trees brought down during the storms, including a set that ended up resting on the side of a house. It was the same thing for Katie in Comstock, Wis., who was also left picking up the pieces after this tree landed on her roof.

Our helicopter found damage across western Wisconsin, including knocked down barns, damaged roofs, and sunken boats in Polk County near the Balsam Lake area.

Back in Minnesota, Nicole Nelson says winds blew her trampoline acres from its spot just east of Lonsdale.

Storm reports over the last 36 hours also showed damage from hail in Rock Creek, Minn., where tennis ball-sized hail shattered windows and battered siding. Molly Ouverson sent us photos showing the hail denting and smashing out the windows of her sedan that she bought just days ago.

A video sent in by Tate Cummins shows how hard and fast rain fell in Owatonna on Saturday. While they wait to dry out, Jessica and her family wait for live power lines to be cut, so they can begin cleaning up and moving on.

"It's definitely a huge mess, but were going to get it cleaned up and back on track," she explains.