Tornadoes, Flooding Leave Damage in Minnesota; 'I’ve Never Seen a Storm Like This'

Sean Breslin
Published: July 12,2016

A combination of flooding rain and tornadoes hammered parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin Monday into early Tuesday morning in the latest round of severe weather to hit the Midwest.

Trailers in Litchfield, Minnesota, show damage from a reported tornado.
(Bill Keller/KMSP-TV)

One twister left widespread moderate damage on the northwest side of Litchfield, Minnesota, just after 5:30 p.m. CDT. Meeker County Sheriff Brian Cruze said 15 to 20 homes sustained damaged and two other dwellings are a total loss. The tornado was confirmed and rated EF2 by the National Weather Service; the twister had maximum wind speeds of 115 mph.
"We heard the siren and we knew we had to move, so we took off," Litchfield resident Diane Kelbing told KARE-TV. "The garage is gone, the shed is gone the snowmobile trailer is gone, we've got a snow plow in the tree."
(MORE: Where Severe Storms Could Hit Next)
Litchfield Mayor Keith Johnson told Fox 9 this is the worst tornado damage he has ever seen in the city.
"I've lived in this town 52 years and I’ve never seen a storm like this in our community," Johnson told KARE.
Another confirmed tornado in progress near Watkins was also relayed by the NWS. Homes and a nursing home were reportedly damaged, and there were minor injuries in Watkins, the AP also said. Electricity was out Monday evening in Watkins and northwestern Litchfield.
An EF2 tornado was also confirmed in Watkins, and the twister that hit this town had wind speeds as high as 125 mph, according to the NWS. It carved a damage path two miles long, the survey revealed.

Watkins is located about 20 miles southwest of St. Cloud, and Litchfield is about 15 miles southwest of Watkins.

Flooding Swamps Parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin

Torrential rain triggered major flash flooding farther north in a stretch of northern Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin into early Tuesday morning.

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Flooding prompted a stretch of Interstate 35 to close Monday night between Hinckley and Sandstone, Minnesota. The road has since reopened.
Hardest hit in Minnesota were parts of Pine, Aitkin, Carlton and Crow Wing Counties, where 6 to 10 inches of rain had fallen.

24-hour radar-estimated precipitation totals over northern Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin from July 11 through early morning July 12, 2016. The heaviest rainfall is depicted in the darkest maroon and purple contours. Flash flood reports over that period are shown by blue icons.

The NWS in Duluth said widespread road closures and washouts had affected 20 different communities, including Brainerd and Hinckley, Minnesota, as well as Hayward, Ashland and Hurley, Wisconsin.
According to KARE, the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office is advising no travel throughout the county due to a "life threatening" flooding situation.
The Mississippi River in Aitkin, Minnesota, was expected to crest at moderate flood levels Tuesday, which could flood the city park and surround homes in the Cedarbrook neighborhood, according to NWS forecasts.
In northwest Wisconsin, a stretch of U.S. 2 east of Ashland was closed due to flooding early Tuesday.

Part of Highway 63 north of Grand View, Wisconsin, was washed out by heavy rains Monday evening.
(ReadyWisconsin)

U.S. 63, the primary route between Bayfield County and the Ashland area to the Hayward "Chain of Lakes" area was washed out in both directions at Matts Drive, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
Parts of Iron and Ashland Counties picked up 9-10 inches of rain, according to the NWS.
The White River south of Ashland, Wisconsin, rose about 7 feet to a record level early Tuesday, topping the previous record from July 1, 1953.
To the east of Ashland, the Bad River near Odanah rose over 15 feet in 6 hours to its third highest level on record before the river gauge stopped reporting early Tuesday.

MORE: Severe Weather, Flooding in the Plains and Ohio Valley