A line of strong storms packing potent winds moved through the metro area and parts of southern Minnesota early Friday, knocking down power lines and trees.
Intense lightning accompanied the storms, which whipped up winds clocked at 60 miles per hour at 2:10 a.m. in Waconia and 52 mph in nearby New Germany. Not far away in Glencoe, 47 mph winds were strong enough to knock down large trees and power lines. A window was blown in on a house in Delano, where winds may have reached as high as 70 mph, said Tony Zaleski of the National Weather Service in Chanhassen.
Trees also were reported down in St. Michael in Wright County, and "widely scattered damage" was reported across the Twin Cities, Zaleski said.
As the storms rolled across the metro, winds in excess of 40 mph were recorded in South St. Paul (46), Richfield (43) and Eden Prairie (41) and at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (40). Nickel-sized hail was reported in Hastings.
Lightning is believed to have been responsible for two house fires. The first was reported about 3:30 a.m. at 18th Avenue and NE. Polk Street in Minneapolis. The fire started in the attic of a house and spread to an adjacent home. Crews had the blaze put out in an hour, Minneapolis Assistant Fire Chief Charles Brynteson said in a news release.
About 90 minutes later, firefighters were called to another fire at 218 8th Avenue NE. It was not immediately known what sparked that blaze, Brynteson said.
The same line of storms that hit the metro also deposited 2 to 5 inches of rain in southeastern Minnesota, which led to flash flooding, the weather service said.
Two boxcars were blown off the tracks in Brown County, where winds of 69 mph were reported about 2:30 p.m. Thursday. A weather spotter also reported some soybean fields flattened, the National Weather Service said.
