Thunderstorm Wind — Hennepin, Minnesota

2005-09-21 · near Countywide, Hennepin, Minnesota

Event narrative

A large storm swept across most of northern Hennepin County, accompanied by large hail and a brief tornado. An NWS damage survey, spotter reports, video, and radar imagery indicate the storm had a very strong rear flank downdraft which was reported to have been sustained as long as 10 minutes in some locations. The wind and hail were responsible for virtually all damage (see separate reports for the hail), and a tornado was on the ground only briefly in Brooklyn Park (see separate tornado entry for Hennepin County). Tens of thousands of trees were downed, including some snapped a few feet off the ground. Many roads were blocked. Some neighborhoods were without power for more than one week, as power crews had a massive number of repairs to make. At the height of the storm, XCEL Energy estimated over 200,000 customers in the western half of the Twin Cities metropolitan area were without power. many cities declared a state of emergency. The property damage report of 130 Million dollars covers all wind and hail reports from this storm in Hennepin County on 9-21-05.In Rogers, part of an apartment complex roof ripped off, and a roof from a nearby home was torn off and blown into another home, where it pushed a wall in. In Hassan Township, numerous trees were toppled, including some on houses, causing major damage. A garage was torn away from a house, and a construction trailer was destroyed. In Dayton, a barn was destroyed and numerous trees felled. Champlin also had many trees downed. A roof was blown off an apartment building in Osseo, and numerous trees were down on homes and businesses. In Maple Grove, many trees were toppled and windows blown out. A small transmission line went down along with 100 feeder lines. New Hope and Golden Valley also had downed trees. Many trees in Robbinsdale and Crystal were also toppled, especially in the north and northeast parts of Robbinsdale and Crystal. Several hangars at the Crystal airport had metal siding and roofs off. A gust of 68 mph was measured at the Crystal airport at 1813 CST. Hundreds of trees were felled in Brooklyn Center, and tile from the roofs of a hotel and restaurant were blown off.Perhaps the most severe damage occurred in Brooklyn Park. City officials estimated at least 10,000 trees were downed, and a local nursery owner estimated 20,000 trees. Hundreds of trees landed on houses and businesses. The roof was partially torn off Signature Design Center. Over 90% of the city lost power.In Minneapolis, most trees were felled in the northern part of the city, namely the Camden, Shingle Creek, Lind-Bohanon, and Victory neighborhoods. A 45 year old man in the north part of Minneapolis died after getting out of his car. He was heading for shelter when a large branch landed on him.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5478868. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.