One minute Brian Pahl was watching television in his Lake Margaret home on Friday and the next he was knocked to the floor with a hole punched in his roof and debris striking him in the head.
The tongue and groove ceiling crashed in with such force, Pahl first thought the house was struck by lightning. It turned out to be a large pine tree.
"It was like being in a movie," Pahl said. "It shook the whole house."
For a few seconds, Pahl said it didn't register what had just happened. After seeing the telltale green storm light, the family was headed to the basement. The ceiling crashed in before Pahl made it that far.
"Your mind doesn't think the house is caving in," he said.
He had a few scrapes and a noticeable cut on the back of his neck.
Residents of Ojibwa Road in Nisswa surveyed the damage from a severe thunderstorm that moved through the area Friday night. High winds downed power lines and trees, blocking off the road and knocking out electricity to residents. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls » Purchase reprints of this photo.
Storm damage from Friday's line of strong thunderstorms was widespread. One area heavily hit, was Ojibwa Road just off Highway 371 north of Brainerd. No injuries were reported there. Trees twisted with cables and power lines blocked the road to through traffic. Chainsaw paths carved through another downed tree created a single vehicle lane around the obstacle. A power pole - just installed a month ago - was snapped in half.
The cloud-to-ground lightning and rumbling thunder came through the area about 6 p.m. following an oppressively warm and gusty Friday. Afternoon temperatures were in the upper 80s. Then a line of storms that blossomed in western Minnesota began a march that stretched from Fergus Falls north to Roseau. When the storms arrived in Brainerd and Baxter, the rain came down in sheets, making driving so challenging some drivers pulled off on the Highway 371 shoulder to wait it out.
National Weather Service trained spotters reported 62 mph wind one mile southwest of Little Falls and dozens of downed trees. Another spotter reported wind of 67 mph south of Hillman.
More tree damage was reported in the Merrifield area and along Highway 232 about two miles east of Palisade in Aitkin County. Hail hit Staples and Motley about 5 p.m. Several funnels were spotted six miles east of Leader about 6:15 p.m. A Minnesota Department of Transportation road sensor recorded a 67 mph wind near Harding.
"It was just a big wall that came and hit all at once," said resident Eric Klang. "It was pretty impressive."
Neighbor Frank Fernald has lived in the area for 30 years and has experience as a weather observer. He said the wind came up and the trees went one direction and then started going the opposite way. He said the storm had a significant roll cloud ahead of it. Fernald and LaVeta Grey drove along the road until a barrier of trees, dangling power lines and snapped power poles stopped them. Several residents along the road were out assessing the damage as Minnesota Power crews arrived.
"The wind just came up really quickly and loud and we heard some big snaps," said Deb Frazer, who has lived on Ojibwa Road for 10 years. Her yard was soaking in standing water and large tree limbs lay across the grass. "We were ready to dive to the basement and grab the pets."
Just a few houses down the road, Tom Holbrook was left to ponder how the storm could have twisted his heavy metal dock while it left two kayaks next to it on the beach untouched. Just yards away, boat lifts with covers were left unmolested.
"That is an amazingly heavy dock," he said. Blue skies were overhead and sunlight sparkled on North Long Lake. "You know how many storms that dock has seen? It's weird the way it twisted. Was it a tornado - no. Was it some kind of whirling wind - apparently."
Holbrook surveyed the tree damage and said it looked like they would have plenty of firewood - again. The area was hard hit by a storm in August and still has stacks of broken wood from that earlier storm.
Michael and Carolyn Gautschi saw the light turn green over Round Lake to the north. When the weather calmed for a moment, Michael Gautschi said he started getting a little nervous. Their house doesn't have a basement and the weather reminded Gautschi of the 1977 tornado that hit the area. The couple headed into an interior closet. They heard the loud rain and electrical snaps. When they came out they found a falling portion of a tree had punched a hole in their roof.
Next door, John Ronlund could look out his back door and see a giant ball of fire where the power lines were damaged.
"It was so bright, it was just orange," Ronlund said. "It turned to white and then it popped and then it went completely out and then started up again."
For residents marveling at the twists and turns of Mother Nature, there was a repeated refrain as people contemplated a weekend of chainsaw activity and cleanup: "It could have been a lot worse."
RENEE RICHARDSON may be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.
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