A possible tornado struck Monday in Forada, a town of about 160 residents in central Minnesota, downed power lines and damaged up to 100 homes, a county official said.
Julie Anderson, director of emergency management for Douglas County, Minnesota, said there were no immediate reports of major injuries or deaths in Forada, about 135 miles northwest of Minneapolis.
He said lifeguards went door-to-door to check on residents while utility crews cleaned up downed power lines and made sure the lines were turned off for safety.
He said the damage was limited to part of Forada and “was not widespread.”
Speaking to KARE-TV from a heavily affected street, Stephen VanLuik, Forada’s fire chief, was shocked by the damage.
“Oh, the devastation of houses, vehicles, trees, it’s amazing,” he said. “On this stretch of road we’re on now, if there’s something that hasn’t been touched, it’s remarkable.”
David Reller, mayor of Forada, said that at least part of the city “received a direct blow” and that many houses and structures were damaged.
He said tornadoes are very rare in Forada and that a hailstone the size of a golf ball had fallen in the city on Sunday night. “This is just a very unusual year,” he said.
The small town of Eagle Bend, about 30 miles northeast of Forada, was also affected, according to Michael Wisniewski, director of emergency management for Todd County, Minnesota. He said at least one house had lost its roof and many power lines. he had been overthrown. He said there were no injuries or deaths in Todd County.
“Everyone is safe,” said Mr. Wisniewski.
Earlier Monday, the Twin Cities National Meteorological Service’s office had issued a tornado warning and classified it as a “particularly dangerous situation.”
“We don’t include this wording often,” the office said. “The environment favors strong tornadoes and anyone who is watching should monitor this situation closely.”
Local officials had warned people to take refuge on Monday as heavy storms and possible tornadoes approached.
The Meteorological Service said Monday that heavy storms are expected in parts of the northern plains and the upper Mississippi Valley.
“Big to giant hail,” gusts of 60 to 80 miles per hour and tornadoes were likely, the Meteorological Service said, including the possibility of several long-distance tornadoes traveling overland over long distances.
More than 72,000 Minnesota customers were without electricity as of Monday night, according to PowerOutage.us, which aggregates data from U.S. utilities.
“Watch out for the storm, Minnesota,” Governor Tim Walz wrote on Twitter Monday afternoon. “We’re watching the new round of storms come and we have teams working to restore energy as soon as possible across the state.”