Severe weather causes damage in Minnesota; 1 dead in crash

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Severe storms brought damaging winds, heavy rain and a few reports of tornadoes to Minnesota, where one person died in a crash that authorities said was caused by downed power lines.

Tens of thousands of homes and businesses were without power across southern Minnesota on Thursday morning after Wednesday night’s storms cut service to more than 75,000 customers.

More potentially severe weather was forecast for Thursday that could bring hail, high winds and tornadoes from the Dakotas and Minnesota into other parts of the Midwest, the Storm Prediction Center said.

Martha Rodriguez, 30, died in a crash on Interstate 90 in southwest Minnesota on Wednesday evening, the Minnesota State Patrol said. Storms knocked down power lines across the interstate in Nobles County and the car she was a passenger in stopped to avoid hitting the wires and was struck by a large truck.

Torrential rain flooded some streets and highways in the Twin Cities area, with several reports of vehicles stranded in the flash flooding. The soccer field at Allianz Field in St. Paul flooded, postponing Wednesday’s game between Minnesota United and Colorado. The storms also brought hail larger than golf balls to Shakopee, Minnesota Public Radio reported.

Weather spotters reported several tornado sightings as the storms moved through southern Minnesota. There were no immediate reports of damage from those possible tornadoes.

Tornado warning sirens sounded across much of the Twin Cities on Wednesday night, there were no immediate reports of tornado touchdowns in the metro area.