The Twin Cities metro area and much of east central Minnesota is drying out after being deluged with heavy rain and thunderstorms Monday that flooded streets, downed trees and felled power lines.
Strong winds associated with the late afternoon and early evening storms caused damage to a few homes and knocked over a trailer in Union Hill in the southwest part of metro area, the Scott County Sheriff's Office said.
That appeared to be the most significant damage, but winds toppled mature trees across the Twin Cities. Tree branches 14 inches in diameter were downed in White Bear Lake while limbs also fell on homes in North St. Paul, the National Weather Service said.
At the peak of the storm, more than 35,000 people in the metro area were without power. As of 6 a.m. Tuesday, that number had dropped to about 7,000, according to Xcel Energy.
The storms that hit just as rush hour began drenched most of the Twin Cities and triggered flash flood warnings. As much as 4 inches of rain fell in New Hope, Maple Grove, Brooklyn Park and Coon Rapids. Between 2 and 4 inches of rain fell across other parts of the metro, leading to flooded intersections, said Brent Hewett of the National Weather Service's office in Chanhassen.
A tornado was reported in Bruce, Wis. just east of Rice Lake as the storms moved into western Wisconsin, the weather service said.
Tuesday will bring a reprieve from severe weather across most of Minnesota as a cool front that trigged Monday's storms pushed steamy and sultry air south into Iowa. The potential for rough weather will return Wednesday as will the heat and humidity. After highs in the mid- to upper-80s on Tuesday, highs will remain close to 90 degrees the remainder of the week with the chance of storms continuing.
"We are stuck in this midsummer pattern for the next seven days," Hewett said. "It will be humid and there could be several more rounds of storms."
Tim Harlow
