Strong Storms Knock Down Trees, Power Lines [VIDEO]
UNDATED - A strong thunderstorm rumbled through central Minnesota early Sunday morning knocking down trees and power lines.
Stearns County Emergency Management Director Erin Hausauer says the most significant damage to trees was in the Eden Valley area. She says she's heard from officials in Paynesville, Richmond, Sartell, and St. Cloud all reporting trees down.
The Minnesota State Patrol reports a pickup pulling a camper was on County Road 1 in Meeker County when strong winds began. They slowed and were moving to the shoulder when the wind flipped the camper and pickup into the east ditch. The camper disconnected and rolled into the field.
There was also a lot of power outages throughout the county. Xcel Energy reported nearly 10,000 of their customers without power Sunday morning. Statewide, Xcel Energy crews worked to assess damage and restore power to approximately 132,000 customers who experienced power outages due to severe thunderstorms in Minnesota. The majority of customers affected were in the Twin Cities and St. Cloud area.
Stearns Electric Association reported 1,000 of their members without power. They had two of their substations down due to the weather, Zion & Elrosa.
There was also power outages in several of our surrounding counties. East Central Energy crews were dispatched to restore power to more than 600 members affected by Sunday morning's storm. The majority of outages in Chisago and Isanti counties.
Hausauer says she has not heard of any injuries.
The thunderstorm warning for Stearns County was in effect from about 7:45 a.m. until about 8:30 a.m. The National Weather Service reported wind gusts as high as 60 mph in some areas. Winds in Meeker County touched 80 mph. The east side of St. Cloud received about .35 of an inch of rain during Sunday morning's storm.
WJON Video Reporter Justin LaBounty contributed to this story.