Frigid temperatures this weekend prompt cold weather advisories

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(AP)      Severe thunderstorms swept through central and southeastern
Minnesota early Saturday, knocking out power to about 103,000 homes
and businesses in the Twin Cities, uprooting trees and causing some
street flooding, officials said.
    

  Xcel Energy said another 7,000 of its customers in the St. Cloud
area lost power.

      The 1 to 3 inches of rain caused some street flooding. The rain
also increased the current and raised the water level of the
Minnesota River, causing officials to delay the search for victims
of the Interstate 35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis.

      Power outages were widespread throughout the Twin Cities area,
said Xcel spokesman Tom Hoen. Xcel expected to have most power
restored by Saturday afternoon, but said power might not be
restored for some customers in outlying areas until the end of the
day Monday.

      Xcel crews from Faribault, Red Wing and Fargo, N.D., were being
called in to aid Twin Cities crews in getting power back on, Hoen
said.

      Straight-line winds as high as 70 miles per hour were reported,
downing power lines and poles.

      "We have substantial damage to poles and distribution systems
with downed lines, tree branches on lines and broken lines," Hoen
said.

      Law enforcement agencies from Bloomington to Stillwater received
calls of downed trees, power outages and minor fires.

      The city of Eagan reported many trees down, some traffic lights
out and debris blocking some roads.

      The Como Park area of St. Paul also was hit hard. Police were
restricting access to some areas around Lake Como as crews cleared
downed trees.

      Forecaster Jim Richardson of the National Weather Service said
Northfield received 2.7 inches of rain and the weather service
office in Chanhassen reported 1.5 inches. The St. Paul Downtown
Airport reported 0.84 inches.

      Winds of 74 mph were recorded at the Alexandria airport.

      The storm developed in west-central Minnesota shortly after
midnight, moved through a wide area of central Minnesota and
reached the Twin Cities around 3 a.m.

      The National Weather Service said there was a chance of more
storms later Saturday, with a chance of large hail, damaging winds
and heavy rains.

      There was a positive side to the storms, which brought some
much-needed rain to drought-stricken parts of Minnesota. Severe
drought conditions persist over nearly all of central and
south-central Minnesota, with moderate drought conditions in the
extreme south-central part of the state.

Gallery

Despite drought Minnesota's harvest down only slightly

Severe thunderstorms swept through central and southeastern
Minnesota early Saturday, knocking out power to about 103,000 homes
and businesses in the Twin Cities, uprooting trees and causing some
street flooding, officials said.


High winds fell trees, knock out power in Twin Cities, other areas

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