© KARE 11Storm damage to homes in Litchfield, Minnesota.
A combination of flooding rain and tornadoes hammered parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin Monday into early Tuesday morning in the latest round of severe weather to hit the Midwest.
One twister left widespread moderate damage on the northwest side of Litchfield, Minnesota, just after 5:30 p.m. CDT. Meeker County Sheriff Brian Cruze said 15 to 20 homes sustained damaged and two other dwellings are a total loss. The tornado was confirmed and rated EF2 by the National Weather Service; the twister had maximum wind speeds of 115 mph.
"We heard the siren and we knew we had to move,
so we took off," Litchfield resident Diane Kelbing told KARE-TV. "The garage is gone, the shed is gone the snowmobile trailer is gone, we've got a snow plow in the tree."
Litchfield Mayor Keith Johnson told Fox 9 this is
the worst tornado damage he has ever seen in the city.
"I've lived in this town 52 years and I've never seen a storm like this in our community," Johnson told KARE.
Another confirmed tornado in progress near Watkins was also relayed by the NWS. Homes and a nursing home were reportedly damaged, and there were minor injuries in Watkins, the AP also said. Electricity was out Monday evening in Watkins and northwestern Litchfield.
An EF2 tornado was also confirmed in Watkins, and the twister that hit this town had wind speeds as high as 125 mph, according to the NWS. It carved a damage path two miles long, the survey revealed.
