Minnesota tornado warnings issued as severe storms cause power outages, damage: Chilling videos emerge

Tornadoes struck western Minnesota and South Dakota, causing downed trees and leaving thousands without power.

Severe storms raked through central and southern Minnesota over the weekend, with powerful tornadoes and heavy winds causing widespread damage. From Saturday evening into early Sunday, the storms prompted multiple tornado warnings, including in the western and southern parts of the Twin Cities metro area. Thousands of homes and businesses were left without power as the violent weather swept across the region.

Multiple tornado reports emerged from severe storms in eastern South Dakota and western Minnesota, causing downed trees and power outages for over 50,000 customers. (Representative Image: Unsplash )

Tornado touchdowns confirmed at multiple locations

The National Weather Service revealed that they had confirmation of a tornado touchdown just before 12:30 am close to Victoria. officials to report downed trees blocking State Highway 7 near Rolling Acres Road and Minnewashta Parkway. Approximately 10 minutes earlier, a trained weather spotter observed a tornado on the ground near Hydes Lake, northeast of Norwood Young America.

Fortunately, there were no injuries reported. The storm weakened and most of it exited at 2 am from the Twin Cities metro. Multiple chilling videos of the tornadoes were also captured at various locations.

The storms produced multiple tornado reports across eastern South Dakota and western Minnesota, including sightings near Canby, Marietta, and Danvers. Additionally, law enforcement and weather spotters confirmed downed trees in St. Michael, Renville, and areas south of Murdock.

Storms lead to power outages and flash flood warnings

Early Sunday, Xcel Energy and other utilities reported that over 50,000 customers were without power, with most outages occurring in the western Twin Cities metro area.

Flash flood warnings were also issued after storms resulted in torrential rain. Street flooding was reported at midnight in Buffalo and Rockford, according to MPR News. The recent storm and heavy rainfall have caused several rivers in Minnesota to rise above flood stage and are expected to rise even further in the next few days.