FARIBAULT, Minn. (AP) - The Latest on severe storms that left a trail of damage across southern Minnesota (all times local):
3:10 p.m.
The National Weather Service has now confirmed that tornadoes struck near Faribault (FAIR’-boh), Lake Elysian and Waterville in southern Minnesota.
That’s in additions to touchdowns confirmed earlier near Granada and Morristown. The Weather Service says it’s still determining whether Lake Elysian and Waterville were hit by the same tornado, or two separate twisters.
Survey crews from the weather service fanned out across southern Minnesota on Friday to assess the damage from severe storms that struck Thursday evening, packing powerful winds and heavy rain. The hardest-hit area included Rice County, around 40 miles south of Minneapolis. But there were no immediate reports of injuries.
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1:05 p.m.
The National Weather Service has confirmed that tornadoes struck near the southern Minnesota communities of Granada and Morristown.
Survey crews from the weather service fanned out across southern Minnesota on Friday to assess the damage from severe storms that struck Thursday evening, packing powerful winds and heavy rain. The hardest-hit area included Rice County, around 40 miles south of Minneapolis. But there were no immediate reports of injuries.
The Weather Service says radar data and spotter reports indicated a few additional tornadoes likely occurred with the storms, but it has not yet assigned ratings to any of the tornadoes.
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11:55 a.m.
A suspected tornado flattened a restored old barn that was a popular venue for weddings and pizza nights in southern Minnesota.
The storm struck the 100-year-old Red Barn Farm near Northfield Thursday evening.
Owners Pat and Tammy Winter were under the barn when the storm hit. The Winters say they and their animals are not injured, but that they’re devastated by the financial loss.
Photos on the venue’s Facebook page show before and after views. It was booked for weddings nearly two years in advance.
Severe storms packing possible tornadoes left a trail of damage across the Twin Cities and southern Minnesota on Thursday. National Weather Service survey teams are out assessing the damage.
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10:30 a.m.
Severe storms packing powerful winds and possible tornadoes have left a trail of damage across the Twin Cities and southern Minnesota.
The National Weather Service says as many as four tornadoes have been reported, including one near Waterville, Medford, Northfield and Randolph. The weather service says a possible tornado or strong wind destroyed the Red Barn Pizza Place in Northfield and caused significant damage at the Stanton Airport near Randolph.
The airport in Faribault also sustained heavy damage with hangars leveled and planes flipped. Schools were closed in Cannon Falls and Waterville-Elysian-Morristown because of heavy storm damage. First responders urged motorists to avoid Cannon Falls because of downed power lines.
Xcel Energy is reporting thousands of power failures across the Twin Cities and in communities to the south.
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