Two rounds of severe thunderstorms — one Monday evening, the second early Tuesday — left the Twin Cities and the surrounding region reeling from widespread power outages, downed trees and other storm damage.
The one-two punch of severe weather forced officials at the Minnesota State Fair to delay opening the gates Tuesday by two hours to assess and clean up damage. That’s after they ended some operations early and canceled the scheduled Grandstand show on Monday night.
At one point Tuesday morning, more than 150,000 Minnesota homes and businesses were without power in the wake of the storms. That number started dropping through the day as crews repaired downed lines.
“The damage in our territory is unprecedented and we want to be transparent that we expect some members may remain without power for 2+ days,” Connexus Energy, serving the northern Twin Cities metro area, said in an update after the first wave of storms.
When breaking news happens, MPR News provides the context you need. Help us meet the significant demands of these newsgathering efforts.
Fullscreen SlideshowPrevious Slide
4 of 4
Clouds over a sunset in St. Paul on Monday.
1 of 4
Storm clouds move over Mendota Heights as a line of severe storms roll through the Twin Cities metro area on Monday, Aug. 26.
Andrew Krueger | MPR News
2 of 4
Rainbow and lightning strike in south Minneapolis on Monday.Next Slide
The second wave of storms added to line crews’ challenges, with Connexus reporting that it had nearly 700 separate incidents — downed lines or broken poles — to respond to.
Xcel Energy said it had 700 employees and contractors working Tuesday morning to restore power, with another 1,000 workers expected in the field by later in the day.
“Because damage is widespread, it will take significant time to get the lights back on for all customers. Xcel Energy anticipates restoring power for about half of the 150,000 affected customers today. Most remaining customers will have power restored by Thursday evening,” the utility said in an update Tuesday morning.
Two rounds of storms
Monday night’s storms downed trees and power lines, dropped torrential rain and sparked intense lightning as they moved from west-central Minnesota through the Twin Cities and into western Wisconsin during the evening.
In addition to affecting operations at the Minnesota State Fair, the storms prompted a rain delay of the Twins game at Target Field.
And they caused major damage to vendors’ tents and merchandise at the fifth annual Black Entrepreneur State Fair at Cabooze Plaza in Minneapolis. Volunteers arrived Tuesday morning to help clean up the damage, with the event set to reopen on Wednesday.
Along with causing a lot of damage, the first round of storms also sparked surreal sights. As the storms passed, the rays of the setting sun created rainbows even as lightning webbed across the sky.
The evening sunshine also bounced off the exiting storm clouds to create a vivid, colorful sky that enveloped the metro area in hues of pink and orange.
Fullscreen SlideshowPrevious Slide
10 of 10
Big branches block a NE Minneapolis road on Tuesday, Aug. 27.
Sven Sundgaard | MPR News
1 of 10
Northeast Minneapolis tree limb down from 60 mph+ wind gusts around 5:25 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 27.
Sven Sundgaard | MPR News
2 of 10
Large branch damages car, blocks the road near 27th St and Emerson Ave S in Uptown on Tuesday, Aug. 27.
Aleesa Kuznetsov | MPR News
Next SlideFullscreen SlideshowPrevious Slide
5 of 5
The line to get into the Minnesota State Fair after a delayed opening on Tuesday, Aug. 27.
1 of 5
The Minnesota State Fair grounds experienced damage after storms on Monday, Aug. 26 that lasted into Tuesday.
2 of 5
The line to get into the Minnesota State Fair after a delayed opening on Tuesday.
Next Slide
After a quiet overnight, the second round of storms moved from southwest Minnesota into the metro area before sunrise, bringing another round of wind gusts in excess of 60 mph.
Some neighborhoods that escaped storm damage and power outages on Monday night, were not as lucky on Tuesday morning. The storms sent a new round of downed trees and branches onto cars, homes and streets.
State Fair officials said an employee suffered minor injuries after being hit by a falling branch on the fairgrounds as storms moved through early Tuesday.
A rainbow fills the Minneapolis sky in the wake of strong storms on Monday, Aug. 26, 2024.
Sarah Thamer | MPR News
Xcel Energy reminded Minnesotans affected by the severe weather to stay clear of downed power lines.
“Always assume an electric line, even one that is on or near the ground, is energized and therefore dangerous. Never, under any circumstance, touch or move a downed power line. If you come across a downed power line, leave the area and report it immediately,” the utility said.
Source link : http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=66ce18712c594cb0826448947f63767c&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mprnews.org%2Fstory%2F2024%2F08%2F27%2Fsevere-storms-cause-damage-across-central-and-southern-minnesota-twin-cities&c=983434841151249317&mkt=en-us
Author :
Publish date : 2024-08-27 00:10:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
