Storms bring tornado, golf-ball sized hail

Last night's thunderstorms brought heavy rain and golf-ball sized hail to parts of southern Minnesota. A tornado reportedly touched down in Traverse County in western Minnesota. No damage was reported.

National Weather Service meteorologist Michelle Margraf says it appears that some of the heaviest rain fell in Willmar, Cannon Falls, and Jordan. All three areas reported rainfall of more than 3 inches last night. The rain led to flash flooding in some other parts of the state.

He says straight-line winds had gusts of around 75 miles an hour in Swift and Meeker counties, damaging some farm buildings.

Golf-ball sized hail and some 2-inches in diameter were reported in Le Sueur, Rice and Goodhue counties but no major damage was reported.

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Winds near 60 mph were widely reported, and several communities in western and southern Minnesota reported flooding in streets.

Power outages were reported in areas of Kandiyohi County. The storm downed large trees and utility poles in many western counties and destroyed a barn and tore the roof from a home in Grove City.

Officials along the Cannon and Little Cannon Rivers were monitoring levels but they weren't expected as high as last week. Transportation officials closed Highway 20 near Cannon Falls and Highway 50 near Miesville Monday morning due to flooding.

Margraf says the severe weather is likely to continue this week.

"It's going to be, continue to be a time we're going to see showers and thunderstorms off and on," he said. "The best chance is going to be tonight into Tuesday and into Wednesday because we have fronts that are sitting over us during that period of time, which are a focus for showers and thunderstorms."

The storms could bring hail and damaging winds, particularly in the lower two-thirds of Minnesota, he said.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)