Severe storms roll through Twin Cities, cause flooding at Minnesota State Fair
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Updated: Aug. 28, 4:25 p.m.
Severe storms swept through the Twin Cities on Saturday night, sending people at the Minnesota State Fair scrambling for cover amid flash flooding on the fairgrounds.
The National Weather Service said Sunday multiple EF 0 tornadoes struck southern Ramsey county and Dakota county. Survey teams found damage that indicated a tornado with peak winds of 75 miles per hour traveled 3.4 miles from Interstate 94 and Highways 10 and 61. It passed by Harding High School, and ended at Goodrich Golf Course. Other EF 0 tornadoes hit Eagan, Apple Valley, Burnsville and West St. Paul, but were brief.
The storms brought gusty winds over a wide area. One gust measured at 61 mph at the State Fair Grandstand — as well as torrential rain that caused street flooding.
Just before 9 p.m., fair officials tweeted that the Grandstand show — The Current's Music On-A-Stick, featuring headliner Portugal. The Man — was paused as the storms approached. Officials urged fairgoers to seek shelter.
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As downpours started to cause street flooding on the fairgrounds, fair officials announced that the remainder of the concert had been canceled.
In a statement Sunday, Fair officials said rides were operating normally and the grounds opened as usual. They said attendees should check the Fair’s Twitter account and website for updates.
Elsewhere in the Twin Cities, there was a report of trees down and blocking a street near Maplewood as the storms passed through around 9 p.m., as well as a report of hailstones bigger than quarters in Little Canada.
There also were reports of trees and large branches down in Coon Rapids, Lakeville, Eagan and Apple Valley — where there was a report of a tree that fell on a home.
Xcel Energy reported more than 27,000 customers without power in its Minnesota service area in the wake of the storms. That number was down to about 8,500 homes and businesses as of 7:30 a.m. Sunday.
The Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative reported more than 1,000 customers without power immediately after the storms, and the Dakota Electric Association reported more than 800.
A cold front forecast to sweep across the region may produce more showers and storms on Sunday afternoon and evening, and the Weather Service says some of those may be severe.
Find forecast updates on MPR Weather's Updraft blog.
Find radar updates here and more storm updates on our live weather blog.
