Storm burst
Brief yet intense cell hits county in late afternoon
Submitted photo In this photo submitted by Barbara Weicherding, a large tree was pulled from the ground close to a house in Sleepy Eye from a storm storm blast which blew through the area late afternoon Monday.
Much of the state was hit by Memorial Day storms, but Brown County was spared the worst of the impact.
Monday’s storm hit hardest in the northern part of the state. The National Weather Service (NWS) Twin Cities has survey teams going out to inspect damage in Douglas, Todd, Pope, Swift, Stevens, McLeod and Carver counties.
Brown County was impacted by a brief yet intense storm early Monday evening, but damage was minimal. The New Ulm Street Department reported a few lost trees and branches, mostly on the south side of the city.
In New Ulm, Memorial Day began with a light shower of 0.1 inch of rain falling between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. The rain held off for rest of the morning and afternoon, but returned stronger than before.
Weather observation at the New Ulm Municipal Airport reported 0.06 inches of rainfall within a single hour between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. In a single hour the wind speed reach nearly 40 mph, with gusts as high as 54 mph.
Submitted photo This photo taken by Brian Hoffman shows a tree taken down by Monday's storm blocking a traffic lane on the 1400 block of South Broadway Street in New Ulm
Other parts of the state were not as fortunate as Brown County.
The NWS confirmed a tornado went through Forada, in Douglas County, on Monday, resulting in down power lines and roads blocked by trees. No serious injuries were reported.
Eagle Bend in Todd County also had a confirmed tornado sighting, resulting in damage to farm sites and making some roads impassable.
The Twin Cities also saw some damage. Xcel Energy reported more than 7,000 Twin Cities metro residents were without power from the storm.
