Twin Cities residents woke Saturday night to sirens amid reports of a string of tornadoes in Carver County.
Two twisters were confirmed by the National Weather Service on Sunday afternoon. One EF1 tornado was reported in the northeast part of Carver County, near Lake Zumbra, with winds of 80 to 90 miles per hour. A second EF1 tornado, with winds of 85 to 95 miles per hour, was tracked along the north side of Lake Waconia toward Parley Lake.
A survey team from the Weather Service is investigating if there was one or two tornadoes that touched down near Cologne.
Saturday’s storm system resulted in the loss of power for hundreds of residents, Xcel reported Sunday morning, with strong winds lashing parts of southwestern Minnesota as well.
In Canby, a small town in Yellow Medicine County, winds reached 74 miles per hour, according to the Weather Service.
Casey Namken, the county’s emergency management director, said the overnight storm brought widespread flooding to the area.
On Sunday morning, the Weather Service issued a flood warning for the Minnesota River at Morton, affecting Redwood and Renville counties.
“Recent heavy rain has resulted in increases to the river stage. We now expect to crest mid-week around 25.8 feet,” the statement from the Weather Service said, which also cited “numerous roads flooded and impassable between the Minnesota River and Redwood Falls.”
