Wild weather hits area

Funnel touchdown reported near Klossner

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- The storm cell that raked through southwestern Minnesota Sunday afternoon knocked out power in Springfield, flattened trees and corn in the New Ulm area and spawned at least one confirmed tornado funnel.

A funnel touch-down was reported approximately three miles east of Klossner. However, there were no immediate reports of damage. Some corn in the area was flattened, possibly by straight-line winds.

The State Patrol reported another funnel sighting in the Eagle Lake area, and the Sibley County Sheriff's Office said another possible funnel touch-down was reported just south of Gaylord, setting off warning sirens in the community. There were no immediate reports of any damage.

Springfield was the Brown County community hardest hit by the straight-line winds accompanying the storm. Springfield Power & Light reported about 100 homes and the Coleman PowerMate plant were without electrical service. Power to all homes was expected to be restored by midnight.

Some localized flooding by the Cottonwood River in Springfield also was reported.

Part of Springfield's power outage was caused by the failure of an Alliant Energy transmission substation, serving Springfield and several substations in Redwood County, said Sam Erickson of Brown County Rural Electrification Association, Sleepy Eye. The substation is a part of the REA service area.

Erickson said there were a few "scattered areas" of outages, other than Springfield, in the REA's service area.

Numerous downed trees and branches were reported in New Ulm where straight-line winds blew the .81 inch of rain at nearly a 45-degree angle.

One resident reported reported losing "most of a large willow tree," as well as having his American flag blown up into a tree in his yard. Another resident had several tree limbs fall on a vehicle, causing minor damage to the vehicle.

Elsewhere in New Ulm, branches were blown onto service lines resulting in some limited power outages, according to a New Ulm Public Utilities spokesperson.

Farther up the Minnesota River, near West Newton, corn was reported flattened by straight-line winds.