Over 100,000 people in the Twin City area in Minnesota were without power Monday due to a series of severe thunderstorms, according to The Minnesota Star Tribune.
State officials delayed the opening of a fair Tuesday due to crews needing additional time to clear away debris from the storm, Fox 9 News reported. Minnesota State Fair employee Tom Koeck told The Minnesota Star Tribune that debris covered the fairgrounds “from north to south.” Some attractions on the fairground will remain closed throughout Tuesday due to storm damage, the outlet reported.
“Multiple rounds of strong thunderstorms overnight have caused widespread damage and significant outages in the region. About 700 crews are working to assess damage and safely restore power to about 150,000 customers.,” Xcel Energy, an energy company, tweeted Tuesday.
Storm Update: Multiple rounds of strong thunderstorms overnight have caused widespread damage and significant outages in the region. About 700 crews are working to assess damage and safely restore power to about 150,000 customers. pic.twitter.com/kDINdIFTt7
— Xcel Energy MN (@XcelEnergyMN) August 27, 2024
The Twin Cities were already beset by 110-degree weather, according to the heat index, in some areas when the storm hit, Fox 9 News reported. The storms’ wind speeds were estimated to reach over 70 miles per hour in some places, the outlet reported. The storm felled power lines and trees, the outlet noted.
Footage taken by multiple people showed extreme weather conditions hitting Minnesota that led toward the felling of trees Monday. The weather was caused by “severe thunderstorms” that “brought heavy rain and strong wind to the Minneapolis metro area,” according to AccuWeather. (RELATED: Video Captures Rare Type Of Fog)
Severe thunderstorms brought heavy rain and strong wind to the Minneapolis metro area on Monday night, knocking down trees and resulting in stunning videos of rainbows and lightning. pic.twitter.com/npszrATKZY
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) August 27, 2024
The video started with an already prostrate tree with its trunk snapped. Other trees nearby were swaying due to the strong gusts of wind and rainwater. “The whole tree just went down. She’s done,” a person said just as the environment was lit up by lightning.
Another segment of footage shows a rainbow mixed in with brief flashes of lightning, while yet another clip of footage shows a car’s windshield wipers struggling to deal with the amount of rain. The video then captures a person from the comfort of their home filming a tree falling to the ground in the middle of the furious storm.
“We have lightning, a rainbow, and a sunset. All in one,” a person says in the video.
