Damaging Wind and Hail Hit Rochester Area
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The line of thunderstorms that moved across southern Minnesota Monday afternoon and evening delivered large hail, dangerous lightning strikes and wind gusts topping 50 miles per hour to the Rochester area.
The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the northern half of Olmsted County shortly before 6:30 p.m. after a thunderstorm cell that hit sections of Dodge County moved into the Rochester area. It appears the strongest part of the storm moved through northwest Rochester and areas north of the city. The National Weather Service received reports of three-quarter inch diameter hail in the Oronoco area, along with a 56-mile-per-hour wind gust that toppled pine trees. Downed trees were also reported in the Goodhue area and three-quarter inch hail was reported in southern Mower County.
Areas of Dodge County saw winds gusting up to 60 miles per hour that caused power outages in the Kasson area and the strong winds caused some damage to buildings and knocked down a large grain elevator in the Freeborn County town of Clarks Grove, where one-inch hail was also reported.
The damage reports from sections of central Minnesota are also extensive. Possible tornado activity was reported in that region in the late afternoon and possible tornado damage was spotted in Sherburne County, including the downing of large oak trees. The responsible storm cell had earlier produced hail as large as an inch and a half in diameter.