Metrodome roof collapse was a year ago Monday
It was a year ago this morning that a blizzard brought down the Metrodome. Seventeen inches of snow fell in what was the Twin Cities fifth biggest snowstorm in recorded history.
The snow and wind combined early that Sunday morning to tear a hole in a panel on the edge of the Metrodome. The rapid deflation tore open two more panels and dumped tons of snow on Mall of America Field, a day before a home game against the New York Giants.
The Vikings played the game in Detroit, and finished their home season at TCF Bank Field.
It took seven months and a day to replace the stadium's fiberglass and Teflon roof, but insurance covered nearly the entire $23 million cost of replacing the dome and the field turf below it.
The Metrodome is commemorating the anniversary with a give-away during tonight's Rollerdome session. Inline skating runs from 5 to 9 p.m. around the stadium concourses, and the first 250 skaters will get a sample of the old dome's roof.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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