A tornado touchdown was reported in Medina and a number of subsequent warnings sent residents bolting for their basements in the northern metro area on a storm-raked Saturday night.
There were no reports of injuries or serious damage from the touchdown, which was reported to the National Weather Service in Chanhassen by trained weather spotters.
But heavy rain and large hailstones slowed traffic and caused basement flooding and minor damage in the communities of Corcoran, Maple Grove, Osseo, Dayton, Rogers, Champlin, Coon Rapids, Anoka, East Bethel and Andover.
A Medina police officer said he saw a tornado tail hanging from the clouds at about 6:30 p.m., but it didn't appear to touch the ground. Sgt. Jason Nelson said hail fell and branches whipped back and forth, but he saw no tornado damage.
"There were rotational winds," Nelson said. "You could see debris blowing and leaves. It looked bad."
Just as the tornado warning for north-central Hennepin County that spawned that twister expired, new ones were posted for northern Hennepin County and parts of Anoka and Wright counties. No other touchdowns had been reported as of about 9:30 p.m.
The twister and warnings came on the heels of a day of unsettled weather that included severe thunderstorms with heavy rain and hail.
On Sunday, showers and thunderstorms are expected to kick up again, mainly after 1 p.m., and to continue into Sunday night. Sunday's high is forecast for 76.
There were no reports of injuries or serious damage from the touchdown, which was reported to the National Weather Service in Chanhassen by trained weather spotters.
But heavy rain and large hailstones slowed traffic and caused basement flooding and minor damage in the communities of Corcoran, Maple Grove, Osseo, Dayton, Rogers, Champlin, Coon Rapids, Anoka, East Bethel and Andover.
A Medina police officer said he saw a tornado tail hanging from the clouds at about 6:30 p.m., but it didn't appear to touch the ground. Sgt. Jason Nelson said hail fell and branches whipped back and forth, but he saw no tornado damage.
"There were rotational winds," Nelson said. "You could see debris blowing and leaves. It looked bad."
Just as the tornado warning for north-central Hennepin County that spawned that twister expired, new ones were posted for northern Hennepin County and parts of Anoka and Wright counties. No other touchdowns had been reported as of about 9:30 p.m.
The twister and warnings came on the heels of a day of unsettled weather that included severe thunderstorms with heavy rain and hail.
On Sunday, showers and thunderstorms are expected to kick up again, mainly after 1 p.m., and to continue into Sunday night. Sunday's high is forecast for 76.
No comments