Heavy Winds and Hail as Storm Blows Through Central Minnesota

UNDATED -- A line of severe storms moved through central Minnesota late Saturday morning and early afternoon.

Beginning after 10:00 a.m. the National Weather Service issued a series of Severe Thunderstorm Warnings for Kandiyohi, Stearns, Benton, Sherburne, Morrison, and Todd counties as a storm capable of producing ping pong ball sized hail and wind gusts 60 to 70 mph moved east-northeast across the state. Those alerts expired at 12:30 p.m.

Additionally, Tornado Warnings were issued for parts of Stearns and Benton counties due to radar indicated rotation. Those warnings came with chances for straight-line winds and tennis ball-sized hail and expired at 12:45 p.m.

Get our free mobile app

Stearns County Emergency Management Director Erin Tufte says they received reports of flooding in Sauk Centre, downed trees in the Brooten and Belgrade area, as well as large hail from north St. Cloud and Sartell.

Stearns Electric is reporting widespread outages affecting over 3,000 customers. Crews are responding as quickly as possible to restore power.

Central Minnesota remains under a Tornado Watch until 4:00 p.m. Saturday with another chance for storms during the afternoon and evening hours.

LOOK: The most expensive weather and climate disasters in recent decades

Stacker ranked the most expensive climate disasters by the billions since 1980 by the total cost of all damages, adjusted for inflation, based on 2021 data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The list starts with Hurricane Sally, which caused $7.3 billion in damages in 2020, and ends with a devastating 2005 hurricane that caused $170 billion in damage and killed at least 1,833 people. Keep reading to discover the 50 of the most expensive climate disasters in recent decades in the U.S.