Strong storms knocked down trees and shut down Minnesota State Fair

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Strong storms knocked down trees and caused more than 27,000 people to lose power across the Minneapolis area Saturday night, prompting the Minnesota State Fair to shut down rides and cancel a concert.

Wind gusts over 60 mph were reported as the storm moved across the metro area. As of 4:30 pm Sunday, Xcel Energy reports 175 remaining outages in the Twin Cities area, affecting 1,957 customers.

At the State Fair, the heavy rain sent many people fleeing for the exits. Fairgoer Marisa Palmer said the storm was scary at first. The State Fair planned to offer refunds for the cancelled concert, but no significant damage was reported at the fairgrounds, so the event was back open Sunday.

The Fair told KSTP the following:

Following last night’s weather event, no significant damage on the fairgrounds was reported. Today, the Minnesota State Fair is open for business and welcoming guests. We are not aware of any issues affecting park & rides or other fair operations. We will continue to monitor weather today and make adjustments if necessary. Find the most recent updates on Twitter @mnstatefair or www.mnstatefair.org/updates.

Another round of strong thunderstorms is likely tonight, affecting not only the Twin Cities but also the Northland. The latest information, including a look at the radar, can be found at https://www.wdio.com/weather/