by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
A wave of thunderstorms, tornadoes and drenching rains that swept through Central Minnesota on Monday was nerve-wracking, to be sure, but the good news is there were no reported fatalities – or even serious injuries.
The storms came from the southwest into central and north central Minnesota, then moved east into Wisconsin. According to the National Weather Service, at least four tornadoes were verified in Central Minnesota. North Central Minnesota was also struck, mainly with torrential rains that caused road shutdowns.
In the greater St. Cloud area, there were flash-flooding occurrences in some areas of Waite Park, West St. Cloud and a stretch of Pinecone Road in Sartell. Area cities received up to four inches and even more in a drenching rain that lasted off and on for hours. Further north, rainfall totals were even higher, with 11 inches reported at Sturgeon Lake and 7.3 inches in Little Falls. Hail also fell in some places, including Rice, where the hail came in two waves, the first pea-sized hail, the second one-half-hour later of quarter-sized hail.
Ominous signs of coming storms began to filter in the early afternoon at about 5 p.m. when tornado watches were announced. The first signs of actual tornadoes in the air were reported near Litchfield and Watkins where touchdowns caused downed trees and property damage, including severe damage to Kramer Electric in Watkins. Debris from the two-story steel structure was tossed by the high winds into nearby St. Anthony Cemetery. Kramer Electric, an electrical contracting company, employs four people and has an annual revenue of from $500,000 to $1 million, according to its website.
In Litchfield, some mobile homes were damaged, with a couple being total losses.
In Watkins, 50 residents of an assisted-living center were evacuated because of weather fears.
Funnel clouds were also spotted near Luxemburg, and rotational clouds were seen in the St. Joseph area.
