Damaging storm blows through area
Despite several large trees coming down during a severe storm Friday evening, none of the buildings on Kathleen and Lowell Miller’s farm were damaged. Submitted photo
From trucks to trees to towering grain bins, the Friday evening storm that raced across Steele and Dodge counties left its mark.
Kathleen and Lowell Miller were in the middle of dinner preparations when a TV meteorologist said “they were looking at something over in Owatonna,” Kathleen said. “Then they didn’t say anything else and went back to regular programming – and we lost electricity.”
The couple, who live on 54th Avenue, southeast of Havana, had significant tree damage on their farm site, but no structures were damaged.
“We had no idea the trees were coming down,” Kathleen Miller said, “because it was so dark and raining so hard.”
The severity of the storm took them by surprise, with no warning ahead of time.
“We were a little bewildered when we saw the damage,” she said. “It made a real mess of our place but was very localized. We have piles of debris all over the yard,” as they wait for the downed trees and branches to dry out.
The pair took a drive around the area after the storm passed, “and it knocked down the corn across the road, but not down the road,” Miller said. Their power was out for about 3½ hours.
About a mile away from their farm, a semi-trailer that was westbound on U.S. Highway 14 was blown onto its side, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.
The driver, Shalva Makharadze, 37, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was taken to Owatonna Hospital with injuries that were described as not life-threatening.
That crash was reported about 6:45 p.m. Friday.
Miller said her husband estimated the winds at about 70 mph, “but I don’t know how you could tell exactly,” she said.
According to trucking experts, wind speeds higher than 60 mph are enough to flip an 18-wheeler.
As the storm moved into Dodge County, tornado warnings were issued in Claremont and Hayfield after a twister was indicated by radar, according to the National Weather Service in La Crosse, Wis.
Several large trees were downed in Claremont – but fell in the right direction, residents said, avoiding vehicles and houses.
A grain bin at CHS in Claremont was blown completely off its foundation and caved in. It appeared to be empty.
Attempts to reach CHS management Monday for a damage estimate were unsuccessful.