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Weather and Climate News
Sam Stroozas

More than 70K without power in Twin Cities and south as storms roll through

Xcel energy map
Xcel Energy outage maps shows there 574 outage orders affecting 60,325 customers.
Screenshot via Xcel Energy

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Updated: 9:35 p.m.

More than 70,000 Xcel Energy customers in the Twin Cities were without power as of about 9 p.m. as storms with high winds swept through the state.

Shortly before 9 p.m., the National Weather Service said all tornado warnings for the Twin Cities metro area were cancelled.

The National Weather Service reported at 8:25 p.m. that a “radar-indicated tornado is located near Brooklyn Park and tracking toward Coon Rapids and Blaine.” It was not immediately clear if a tornado had touched down.

This came after the weather service issued a tornado warning in the area, reporting that at 8:23 p.m., “a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located over Brooklyn Park, or 10 miles north of Minneapolis, moving northeast at 65 mph.”

Sirens went off in parts of Minneapolis and much of the western Twin Cities metro around 8 p.m. as the area was facing warnings for tornadoes and high winds. Authorities said people in the areas of the storm should go inside and take cover immediately.

The storms started in the southwestern part of the state on Wednesday evening. A tornado was spotted on the ground 19 miles southwest of Hutchinson moving northeast at 50 mph at 6:58 p.m.

A wind gust of 77 mph was recorded in Shakopee and 79 mph in Morristown, the National Weather Service said shortly after 8 p.m.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation reported Interstate 90 was closed in both directions for part of Wednesday evening from Worthington to Highway 264 after a storm downed power lines in the area.

At Allianz Field lightning prompted a delay in the Minnesota United FC match. The Minnesota Twins plan to resume their game Thursday at 12:10 p.m.

Follow MPR meteorologist Paul Huttner for the latest updates.