Jimmy Lee, a Daggett Brook Township resident, had a rude awakening Tuesday morning. About 5:30 a.m., a small but powerful thunderstorm passed over his residence at Crow Wing County Road 2 and Highway 25, dropping hail as big as 2.5 inches in diameter.
The sound of the hail battering his house woke Lee and his wife. The impact of the hail on the soft ground was strong enough to leave holes behind, he said.
“It was just unreal,” Lee said. “I’ve never seen hail like that in my life and I’ve been around quite a while.”
Lee said he was having his roof looked at for damage. He wasn’t aware of any other damage to his property, but said when he talked to his insurance company Tuesday they said they’ve had a lot of calls about vehicle damage in southern Crow Wing County.
Alex Lamers, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Duluth reported, said the thunderstorm formed over southern Crow Wing County, moved to the northeast and dissipated just north of Lake Mille Lacs.
John Bowen, Crow Wing County emergency management director, said the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Department received a report of golf ball size hail from a resident on Crow Wing County Road 130. A weather spotter in Fort Ripley reported to the weather service hail 1-inch in diameter.
The Storm Prediction Center lists a slight risk for strong thunderstorms over central Minnesota into Wednesday, with a risk of supercells forming with large hail and possibly damaging winds and a few tornados. Read More
