Xcel reports nearly 30,000 without power

Xcel Energy is working to restore power to approximately 30,000 after a severe storm that moved through Sunday afternoon.

Most of the outages are reported in the Chisago, Hugo and Forest Lake areas.

Xcel Energy spokeswoman Patti Nystuen said they had extra crews on standby in case of a severe storm, and they are ready to get to work right away.

"It's a situation where we can't dispatch crews until it's safe to move into that area. We did have extra crews on standby this afternoon in anticipation of this weather, and they are moving into that area as soon as it becomes safe," Nystuen said. "Once they get in there we will assess the situation and determine how long before we have total restoration."

She said most of the power outages were likely caused by a combination of wind and downed trees and power lines.