More severe weather could hit Minnesota after storms trigger power outages

Another round of intense severe weather is possible Monday afternoon and evening just as Minnesotans spent the day cleaning up from Sunday storms that toppled trees and left thousands without power.

Heavy rain, damaging winds are the main threat, but large hail and tornadoes are possible, the National Weather Service said.

A moderate chance of turbulent weather — a 4 out of 5 chance — is forecast for cities such as Morris and Montevideo in west-central Minnesota. A 3 in 5 chance of severe storms includes an area stretching from Worthington to Mankato and up to Alexandria, the National Weather Service said.

A derecho is likely across portions of the northern Plains, with several gusts expected to exceed 75 mph, the Storm Prediction Center said.

A derecho is a storm with powerful winds often exceeding hurricane or even tornado force, traveling in a straight line over hundreds of miles, the Weather Service said.

“Intense severe storms” are expected to form Monday afternoon in South Dakota and move southeastward into Minnesota and Iowa through Monday night, the Storm Prediction Center said.

“Swaths of damaging winds, potentially 75-90 mph, are the main concern. Be prepared to take action if watches and warnings are issued for your area,” the arm of the National Weather Service said.

“Review your severe weather safety procedures for the possibility of dangerous weather today,” the Storm Prediction Center said.

On Sunday, storms rolled through the Twin Cities area, dropping heavy rain, large hail and knocking out power to thousands. On Monday afternoon, Xcel Energy reported about 17,500 Twin Cities area customers were still in the dark, including about 5,900 in Hennepin County and 6,000 in Ramsey County.

Sunday’s storms delivered hail 1.75-inches in diameter to Plymouth and Falcon Heights. Winds were clocked at higher than 60 mph at the Crystal Airport and in downtown St. Paul. Flash flooding was reported in Roseville near Hwy. 36 and Fairview Avenue, the National Weather Service said.

Several trees were uprooted in northeast Minneapolis and Mendota, according to storm reports and images posted online.

Over a dozen counties reported outages as severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings were in effect across the region. The warnings came after extremely high temperatures over the weekend.

“Xcel Energy knows losing power is difficult and the company thanks customers for their patience and support of its crews,” the company said in a statement.

The outages included the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, where comedian Nate Bargatze’s second show of the weekend was taking place. When the power went out in the arena, the generators kicked in. The house lights turned on in the middle of a short set by the fifth and final opening comic, Aaron Weber.

During an extended intermission, a screen at the arena stated, “Sorry folks, the show will resume shortly.” In true Minnesota fashion, the near-capacity crowd started a spontaneous wave followed by a Skol clap.

The show resumed after a 50-minute, prolonged break.

“I love when stuff goes wrong,” emcee Julian McCullough said. “This is my dream come true. Saturday was sold out and it went perfectly. Boring.”

“Sorry I was a little late,” Bargatze said. “It’s not normal. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.”