At least 3 dead after tornado rips through North Dakota, northern Minnesota sustains heavy storm damage
Three people are dead in North Dakota, and tens of thousands are without power in northern Minnesota after powerful winds swept across the upper Midwest Friday and overnight Saturday.
A complex storm system wreaked havoc in parts of North Dakota, northern Minnesota and northern Wisconsin, with reported tornadic activity, large hail and strong wind gusts, according to Brian Hurley, meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center.
100+ mph wind gusts in Bemidji area, officials say
A tornado warning was issued for Minnesota's Beltrami County just after midnight, with torrential rains causing flash flooding in downtown Bemidji and downed trees blocking dozens of roadways, according to county emergency manager Christopher Muller.
He described damage in the Bemidji area as "extensive," with scores of fallen power lines.
The National Weather Service in Grand Forks reported wind gusts of up to 106 mph at Bemidji Regional Airport just before 1 a.m. on Saturday.
"I cannot ever recall hearing a rushing wind like that!" Bemidji Mayor Jorge Prince posted on Facebook in the early hours Saturday. "Emerged from our basement to find our neighborhood with lots of trees down and several homes with severe damage."
Just before 2:30 a.m., Muller reported there were "roofs off buildings everywhere around Bemidji, vehicles flipped, windows blown in at the regional medical center," and likely "thousands of trees down."
Storm damage in Bemidji.
Lidia Lukach
He also noted at the time there were about "25 gas leaks" around Bemidji, and some apartment buildings "had their roofs torn off."
"If you are reporting property damage, please wait until this emergency subsides so dispatchers can process emergency calls first," Muller said in a Saturday morning press release.
Displaced residents and those in need of assistance are urged to go to the Sanford Convention Center.
Many Bemidji-area businesses posted on social media Saturday saying they were without power and closed for the day.
Mueller warned residents to prepare for "long-term power outages" because of damage to infrastructure.
As of Saturday afternoon, more than 25,000 customers in northern Minnesota are still without power, according to poweroutage.us.
Itasca State Park battered by "traumatic wind event"
On Saturday, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced Itasca State Park "experienced a traumatic wind event overnight" and has no power.
The DNR has closed all of the park's buildings and programming and says only vault toilets are available for visitors.
All roadways in the park are "currently passable" with the exception of Wilderness Drive, and its bike trail is also unpassable.
Tornado kills three in North Dakota town
Cass County Sheriff Jesse Jahner said at a press conference Saturday that two men and a woman were killed at two separate locations in the town of Enderlin, North Dakota, late Friday. Enderlin is about 57 miles southwest of Fargo.
Timothy Lynch, lead forecaster with the weather service's Grand Forks office, said the storm had been confirmed as a tornado, but that crews were still working to determine its strength and highest wind speeds. He said the storm impacted the neighboring counties of Cass and Ransom.
"We still have people out investigating and gathering information on what happened. It was a pretty major event," Lynch told The Associated Press on Saturday.
More than 20,000 customers in North Dakota are also without power as of Saturday afternoon.
WCCO
Nearly 150 million Americans under heat warnings, advisories
The clean-up effort comes amid dangerous heat across the Midwest and Northern Plains, with the heat index this weekend in the 100s in Minnesota.
Almost 59 million Americans are under an extreme heat warning Saturday, and another 84 million are under a heat advisory.
This story will be updated.
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UPDATED: Minor damage reported in Grand Forks County after storms; rail cars overturned in Traill County
Jun. 21—GRAND FORKS — Minor damage was reported in Grand Forks County and elsewhere in the Grand Forks region following a night of high winds and tornado-like weather, according to the National Weather Service in Grand Forks. However, farther south in the Grand Forks region — especially in and around Mayville — the damage was worse. Traill County Sheriff Steve Hunt told the Grand Forks Herald that power was out for some residents, a diesel fuel tank was tipped over and rail cars were overturned in the southern part of his county. As the sun rose in Grand Forks County, residents generally awoke to very minor damage, such as a few branches scattered about. Some were without power until around 5 a.m. A tornado warning was issued for Grand Forks County just after midnight Saturday morning, June 21, as strong winds moved into the area from Griggs County to the west. The tornado warning was downgraded to a severe thunderstorm warning shortly after, and that warning expired around 5 a.m., National Weather Service lead forecaster Tim Lynch said. A tornado signature was observed in Griggs County, but there has been no confirmation of a tornado in Grand Forks County. Local wind speeds reached 69 mph at Grand Forks International Airport. In the region, wind speeds reached 110 mph in Steele County and up to 80 to 90 mph in Traill County, Lynch said. Ben Gates, director of emergency management in Steele County, said that as of 10 a.m. Saturday, damage assessments were being done throughout the county, including in the city of Hope, which had several large trees fall. "I'd say a large majority of the trees in the city are down, covering streets and stuff like that," Gates said. Several homes had trees fall on their roofs, he said, and others sustained damage from shingles being ripped off. Homeowners also reported their patios, trampolines and other outdoor items were taken by the storm. As far as Gates knew, there were no injuries reported. "We have a pretty robust emergency alert system, so we were (relying) pretty heavily on that last night, and I think it was pretty well received," he said. As county employees work to clear the streets, Gates asks residents to stay clear, holding off on driving around to assess the damage. "Make sure that we're giving the crew space and time to work," he said. Structural damage from high winds was reported near Bemidji. Three people were killed overnight in a tornado that hit Enderlin, North Dakota, an hour west of Fargo in Cass and Ransom counties, WDAY reported Saturday morning. The region is now in peak storm season, which generally lasts from late June through July, Lynch said, and he characterized the overnight storms as on the stronger side of normal for this time of year. "The wind was profound on this one," he said. In Grand Forks and East Grand Forks, a drive through town showed very minor damage, including small tree branches down and construction signs toppled. "We were so lucky. No major damage anywhere in the county," said Kari Goelz, Grand Forks County's emergency management director. "Only a handful of power outages." She said Grand Forks received just over an inch of rain. And more good news for Greater Grand Forks: Goelz said the Grand Forks Fair would open on schedule Saturday after closing early Friday evening. In Mayville, numerous tree branches were downed by the storm. Community members began working shortly after sunup to clear the debris. Mayville received an inch of rain, according to WDAY. Sheriff Hunt said Mayville was hit with strong winds, but the worst of it was in the southwest corner of Traill County, near Clifford and Galesburg. "We have tons of trees down (and) power lines are down," he told the Herald. "We some grain bins and structures like that that have been damaged and tipped over." He said the focus is to get the streets open and power restored. It could take several days to get power back on for some in Traill County, he said. Hunt encourages anyone in the area to be aware of downed power lines. Conditions could favor more storms for the Red River Valley on Sunday, when a cold front will approach from the west. There will be a potential for more strong thunderstorms, possibly bringing damaging wind gusts up to 75 mph, golf ball-sized hail and the potential for a tornado or two, Lynch said. He urged people to monitor the forecast through the rest of the weekend. "Be mindful of how you get your warnings," he said. "Make sure you have multiple ways of getting your warnings, (Sunday) for sure."
