Possible tornado causes damage in southwestern Minnesota
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Updated: Aug. 11, 11:18 a.m. | Posted: Aug. 10, 6:45 p.m.
Weather spotters reported several tornado sightings in southwestern Minnesota on Saturday evening, with damage reported in Windom.
Cottonwood County Emergency Management reported in a Facebook post that "what was believed to be a weak tornado" tracked through the north side of the city, causing damage to the county fairgrounds. The Cottonwood County Fair begins later this week.
In a Facebook post Sunday morning, fair officials asked people to stay away from the fairgrounds.
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The storms also flipped a camper and caused damage to trees. Authorities said there were no reports of major damage to homes, and no reports of injuries.
"Thank you to the good Samaritans who came out with chainsaws and equipment to remove potentially dangerous trees from roadways and trees leaning toward homes. It's nice to see the community come together quickly when something happens," Cottonwood County Emergency Management reported in its post.
The National Weather Service office in Sioux Falls, S.D., said it also received spotter reports of a tornado Saturday night near Bingham Lake, Minn., at about 6:15 p.m., and near Bergen, Minn., just before 6:30 p.m. Those communities are just east and southeast of Windom in Cottonwood and Jackson counties.
It wasn't immediately clear if there were multiple tornadoes.
To the southeast, a funnel cloud was spotted near Fairmont, Minn., in Martin County just before 6 p.m., with a possible brief tornado touchdown later near East Chain, Minn.
