Hail Pelts Dakota County as Storms Hit Twin Cities Friday

The power is out for hundreds of Xcel Energy customers in Dakota County early Friday morning after thunderstorms blew through the area. 

Dakota Electric was also encouraging customers to report outages in their service area. Patch attempted to get an estimate, but hasn't received word back from the utility at this time. 

Heavy rain and high winds hit the Twin Cities area around 3:30 a.m. Friday, causing tree damage and downed powerlines around Dakota County, including Apple Valley and Eagan.

That’s left thousands without power in both communities.

According to Xcel Energy, the area’s major electric utility:

“A severe band of thunderstorms moved through Minnesota early Friday morning, June 21. The storm caused significant damage to our electric system, including a number of downed poles and power lines. Outages are scattered throughout the state, with approximately 130,000 customers without power at this time. We are currently assessing the damages and no restoration time is yet available. Additional crews from the North and South Dakota and other utilities have been coordinated to assist with restoration efforts. Please stay away from downed power lines and always assume a downed wire is energized and therefore dangerous. Report downed power lines to Xcel Energy at 1-800-895-1999 or call 9-1-1.”

According to the Xcel Outage Map, more than 2,000 customers in the south metro lost power at about 4:15 a.m., and service was expected to be restored, but without a concrete timetable.

Witnesses also reported hail in Dakota County, one of the few areas to get pelted with that dangerous precipitation.

About half-inch hail was reported hitting homes in Eagan, while nearly full-inch hail (diameter) fell on areas in Burnsville.

Scanner traffic reported at least two fires caused by lightning strikes. The first was at 5:15 a.m. on Highview Avenue in Apple Valley. Another occurred in Empire Township, which required assistance from Rosemount firefighters.

Another home in Minnetonka was destroyed by fire.

How did the storm affect your home and neighborhood?