At least one tornado is believed to have touched down in Sherburne County on Monday evening. If officially confirmed, it would be the earliest touchdown ever recorded in Minnesota, according to the National Weather Service in Grand Forks.
The twister hit near Zimmerman, south of Princeton, just before 6 p.m.
The Weather Service in Chanhassen said a tornado "very likely" hit the area, but will not confirm until they assess damage in the vicinity on Tuesday.
Meteorologist Todd Krause said there were reports of trees and power lines down and part of a roof was "taken off a building."
"It mostly likely was [a tornado], but we want to be certain by taking a look at the damage," Krause said. "We don't know for sure with a 100 percent certainty."
Meteorologist Paul Douglas concurred, saying, "I'm 80 percent sure it was a tornado."
"A storm spotter report at 6:40 p.m. mentioned 'housing pieces wrapped around trees,' " Douglas said in an e-mail. "Straight-line winds usually don't do that."
March tornadoes are rare. Just 19 have been reported in the state since 1950. The previous earliest tornado recorded was March 18, 1968, near Truman, the service said.