A thunderstorm bringing hail and damaging winds swept through northern Crow Wing and southern Cass counties Sunday evening.
The National Weather Service in Duluth reported a strong cold front moving through the area prompted the Storm Prediction Center to place northern Minnesota at a slight risk of severe weather.
"Because we had been so warm and humid for several days prior, the atmosphere was primed for some severe thunderstorms," said Greg Frosig, NWS meteorologist.
Frosig said the strongest storms in the northern part of the state moved across southern Cass County, from just north of the Pine River Airport down to Emily.
The first reports from trained spotters in the area came in shortly after 5:30 p.m., when pea- to marble-sized hail was reported three miles north of Nisswa. Hail lasting for three minutes that "completely covered the ground" was reported in Emily. Trees were reportedly downed in both Emily and Lake Shore.
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The severe weather capped off an especially wet Labor Day weekend for the lakes area. A map produced by NWS Duluth shows rainfall totals from Friday through Sunday approaching 3 inches throughout the northern half of Crow Wing County, with 3.68 inches reported along the Cass-Crow Wing county line west of Jenkins.
CHELSEY PERKINS may be reached at 218-855-5874 or chelsey.perkins@brainerddispatch.com . Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DispatchChelsey .
