Thousands of Minnesota homes and businesses remained without power Monday, more than a day after severe storms knocked down trees and power lines from Moorhead to the Twin Cities.
Utility crews returned to continue repair work, although those efforts were complicated by another round of storms affecting parts of the state Monday morning.
The storm was packing winds in excess of 60 mph and large hail as it moved southeast through the state Saturday night and early Sunday. High winds downed trees and power lines from Pelican Rapids to the St. Cloud area to the Twin Cities. There were no reports of injuries.
Xcel Energy reported that more than 17,000 of its Minnesota customers remained without power Monday afternoon, down from more than 27,000 customers earlier in the day and down from the more than 70,000 customers reported earlier on Sunday.
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In an update late Sunday, the utility said “significant progress has been made in restoring power” and about 1,250 employees were working on repairs. The most outages were in the western Twin Cities metro area.
“Xcel Energy expects to restore power to most customers by Monday evening, although some work will continue into Tuesday,” the utility said.
Xcel also said customers who are still without power should check their home's “mast” (the electrical connection from the service line to the home) for damage. If damaged, it will need to be repaired by a licensed electrician before service can be restored.
The outages came as the Twin Cities recorded summer temperatures of 90 degrees for the first time on Sunday, meaning thousands of residents were left without fans or air conditioning in the sweltering heat. Heat and humidity also create additional challenges for line workers.
Early Sunday, a tree fell on a car across the street in St. Paul.
Kerem Yusel | MPR News
Elsewhere in Minnesota, other utilities are working to repair smaller ongoing outages caused by weekend storms. Lakeland Electric Cooperative reported hundreds of customers were without power in the Otter Tail County area early Monday. The utility said the weekend storm not only knocked out power lines but also completely snapped some poles.
Another round of severe storms rolled through parts of west-central and southwestern Minnesota on Monday morning, producing wind gusts exceeding 60 mph and large hail.
The storm knocked down trees and power lines in Raymond, Princeton and Olivia, and dropped golf ball-sized hail in Princeburg. The National Weather Service also received reports that strong winds overturned a semitrailer on State Highway 29 south of Benson.
