Thursday: Maplewood teen drowns in storm-filled creek

A 13-year-old Maplewood boy drowned Thursday night after being swept away in a rain-swollen stream in Battle Creek Regional Park.

The boy, whom police declined to identify, was playing with three other friends in the creek near his home about 8 p.m. when the rushing water pushed him over a small concrete dam, said Maplewood Police Chief David Thomalla. The creek runs though the north end of the park, north of Upper Afton Road and east of McKnight Road.

"They were playing in the creek, which was much bigger because of the rain," Thomalla said. "I'm sure that's what attracted them to it."

The boy's friends "could hear him call out, but they couldn't see him. It's dark there," Thomalla said. "They lost sight of him."

Police were called, and rescuers found the boy's body about 9:40 p.m. in about 10 feet of water, 50 feet from the dam where the creek opens up into a pond, Thomalla said. The boy's mother declined to comment Thursday night.

As torrential rains, damaging winds, lightning and large hail rolled across central Minnesota, flights were interrupted, basements flooded and vehicles were swamped on freeways and city streets.

Sirens sounded

The storm dumped as much as 1.26 inches of rain in the span of an hour across the Twin Cities area. Tornado warnings were numerous and sirens sounded in several suburbs.

St. Paul College canceled classes today and likely Saturday, too, after rain water flooded the school Thursday evening, said President Donovan Schwichtenberg.

One of the pipes that helps drain water from the school's flat roof was overwhelmed by the surge of water coming from the roof and the pressure from the storm sewer where the pipe connects, he said. A coupling broke and the library, business office, student services, welding shop and classrooms were damaged, Schwichtenberg said.

Flights delayed

Rain and wind shut down Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport for about 30 minutes, beginning at 5:45 p.m., said spokesman Patrick Hogan. Flights were delayed an average of 2½ hours throughout Thursday evening. Low visibility through the day had reduced arrivals from 60 per hour to about three.

"It was a rough night for travel," said Hogan, adding that flights were expected to be back on schedule by early today.

In Woodbury, three townhome buildings were damaged. The Red Cross helped find housing for two families left homeless by the storm.

"It was a storm, a good storm," said Woodbury Assistant Fire Chief Ladd Miller. "By that I mean a storm with strong and powerful winds."

Tornado or straight-line?

National Weather Service officials are expected to inspect the damage in Woodbury today to determine whether straight-line winds or a tornado caused the damage, said meteorologist Karen Trammel.

Several funnel clouds were spotted throughout the metro, but there wasn't any confirmation of a touchdown, she said.

Rush-hour traffic on Interstate 494 was stalled near Portland Avenue by floodwater on the road about 6 p.m., and the Weather Service reported a "geyser" shooting up to 25 feet high out of one Minneapolis storm drain.

More than 17,000 Xcel Energy customers lost power in the Twin Cities, primarily in the west metro area, as did about 11,000 Lake Country Power customers in the Duluth area.

Several area high school football games were delayed or postponed. In Apple Valley, the Eden Prairie and Eastview matchup was delayed a half-hour, and the Eastview band's halftime performance was canceled. The show's title: "And Now the Weather."

Outside the metro area

Parts of Stearns County reported 6 inches of rain, causing significant flooding in Sauk Center, said Marvin Klug, Stearns County Emergency Management director. "Cars were floating," he said. "And City Hall took in some water."

Trees and power lines fell and roof shingles were ripped in Avon and Sartell, Klug said.

The storms left behind some needed moisture in a county that has suffered severe drought, Klug said. "This goes a long way to help out. But unfortunately comes way too late for the farmers."

A tornado may have touched down at a Wal-Mart parking lot in Pine City.

"No injuries that we're aware of, but there are trees down and property damage," said a Pine County sheriff's dispatcher. "We've got power out."

Four houses were struck by lighting in Stearns County, Sheriff John Sanner said.

Staff writers John Millea and Richard Meryhew and Joy Powell contributed to this report. mcaul@startribune.com • 612-673-7646 mlsmith@startribune.com • 612-673-4788