Severe storms bring large hail, damaging winds, torrential rain to Twin Cities
Updated: 9:08 a.m.
Round after round of severe storms brought large hail, damaging winds and torrential rain to the Twin Cities metro area late Sunday into early Monday.
The storms also sparked nearly continuous lightning and thunder for much of the night across the metro area.
Winds gusted to 61 mph at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. As of 9:10 a.m., Xcel Energy reported more than 10,000 homes and businesses without power in the wake of the storms, mostly in the south and west metro.
The Bloomington Fire Department reported early Monday that "fire crews have been responding to numerous incidents since the storms started last evening. Many trees and limbs blocking roads throughout the city."
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There were widespread reports of hailstones the size of golf balls or larger. The National Weather Service received a report of tennis-ball-size hail in Loretto in western Hennepin County.
The storm prompted flash flood warnings, as well, although the National Weather Service said recent dry weather had left soils able to absorb much of the rain. Just after 4 a.m., the Twin Cities weather service reported a 24-hour rain total of 5.52 inches at its office in Chanhassen.
It was the end of a wild weather weekend that also saw severe storms cause damage in northwestern Minnesota on Sunday afternoon, and across southern Minnesota on Saturday.
Quieter weather is expected across the state later Monday. Skies clear across Minnesota through the day, and temperatures return to slightly below average. Storm chances return on Wednesday, said MPR News meteorologist Nicole Mitchell.