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CBS News
13 hours ago
- Climate
- CBS News
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 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.
Daily Mail
15 hours ago
- Climate
- Daily Mail
At least 3 killed as power lines downed and locals trapped in cars as extreme winds sweep through a rural town
At least three people died in rural North Dakota after tornadoes violently ripped through three states, tearing down power lines, trapping locals in cars, and leaving 150million Americans under a heat advisory. Sheriff's deputies were called to Enderlin, North Dakota, near Fargo, around midnight on Friday after two storm chasers said they found two deceased people. Shortly after, a local fire department would find a third death nearby. 'Deputies found extensive damage to the area and began conducting well-being checks on people with several partner agencies,' the Cas County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. Cass County Sheriff Jesse Jahner said on Saturday that two men and a woman were killed. 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, Brian Hurley, a National Weather Service meteorologist, told AP. Heavy winds also swept across localized areas of Minnesota, with wind gusts of up to 106 mph at Bemidji Regional Airport overnight. '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.' Prince also said officials were responding to many knocked-down power lines and several gas line leaks. Beltrami County Emergency Management said the damage to the Bemidji area is 'extensive.' Around 21,000 customers in Minnesota were without power, 20,000 in North Dakota, and 10,000 in Wisconsin, as of Saturday afternoon, according to Hurley said that same storm is traversing across parts of Michigan but is weakened. It will cross over lower Ontario, Canada, and back into the United States to hit upstate New York on Saturday night into Sunday. 'Still wind and hail threat,' Hurley said of the enhanced risk to upstate New York. 'It doesn´t look like it´s going to be as robust perhaps as we saw last night. Almost 59million Americans are under an extreme heat warning Saturday, Hurley said, as the high temperatures combined with humidity push an above-average heat index for the Northern Plains and the Midwest. Parts of Nebraska, the Dakotas, Minnesota and Iowa could face temperatures 'easily 20 degrees above normal,' Hurley said, including some areas reaching the triple digits. It may be expected in July, he said, but it's rarer to see in June. 'A lot of these areas have been pretty cool with rain over the last month or so, so it´s going to be a little bit of a shock,' Hurley said. Cooling centers were open in cities including Omaha and Minneapolis as officials warned the public of dangerously hot conditions. An additional 84million people were under a heat advisory as forecasters expect the extreme weather to migrate eastward toward the Great Lakes, the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast, where the 'heat risk category is a four of four' into early next week, Hurley said. Meanwhile, parts of the Great Basin and the Southwest may be hot but are seeing relief from below-normal temperatures.
