Thunderstorm knocks out power to 132,000 in Twin Cities

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A severe storm that rolled through the Twin Cities metro area knocked down power lines and tress and pelted some areas with hail.

The storm reached downtown Minneapolis just before 9 a.m. Sunday. The National Weather Service reported wind gusts as high as 60 mph in some areas. Winds in Meeker County, west of the Twin Cities, touched 80 mph.

The Minnesota State Patrol says two people were hurt when wind gusts flipped a pickup and camper as the driver was moving onto the shoulder on a county road in Meeker County. They were taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Xcel Energy officials say more than 132,000 of its customers lost electricity because of the storm. Crews had restored power to more than 45,000 customers by noon Sunday.