Severe Storm Causes Big Mess in Twin Cities Area

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A severe storm that rolled through Minnesota and Wisconsin left nearly 165,000 Xcel Energy customers without power.

The storm rolled through downtown Minneapolis just before 9 a.m. Sunday. National Weather Service reported wind gusts as high as 60 mph in some areas. Winds in Meeker County, west of the Twin Cities, touched 80 mph. Public works crews in the suburb of Coon Rapids used heavy equipment to clear several inches of hail from streets.

The Minnesota State Patrol says two people were hurt when wind gusts flipped a pickup and camper as the driver was moving onto the shoulder on a county road in Meeker County. They were taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Xcel officials say crews had restored power to 105,000 customers by late Sunday afternoon.  As of 4 .a. Monday, the number was under 1,900 in  the Twin Cities.