Severe storms sweep across Minnesota, drop large hail in Twin Cities
A line of severe thunderstorms raked a wide swath of Minnesota, including the Twin Cities, early Friday evening — dropping large hail in the heart of the metro, flooding streets and knocking out power to thousands.
The National Weather Service relayed reports of hailstones the size of golf balls — or greater — in Minneapolis and St. Francis. There were reports of ping-pong-ball size hail in Plymouth, Rockford, Golden Valley and Robbinsdale.
A weather spotter near Dassel, west of the metro, reported 3-inch hail.
And many other communities saw smaller hail shred leaves, accumulate on lawns and wash into gutters and ditches along with the torrential rain.
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Some parts of the Twin Cities saw street flooding as the storm drains couldn’t keep up with the deluge. The heavy rain fell in areas of the state that have been stuck in drought conditions for months.
A wind gust of 68 mph was reported in St. Paul as the storms rolled through between 5:30 and 6 p.m.
In the immediate wake of the storms, Xcel Energy and other utilities reported more than 25,000 homes and businesses without power in Minnesota and western Wisconsin.
The storms also produced funnel clouds near Brownton and Cedar Mills, though no confirmed reports of tornado touchdowns.
Quieter weather is expected across Minnesota on Saturday. There will be another chance for rain on Sunday, but the Weather Service said severe weather is not expected.
Find forecast updates on MPR Weather’s Updraft blog.