Storm passes through the area on Saturday

This article submitted by Linda Stelling on 7/1/97.

Strong winds moved through the Paynesville area Saturday afternoon leaving a path of destruction.

Trees were uprooted, many were snapped off or branches broken off, many landing on power lines, leaving people without electricity. The storm also dropped anywhere from a half inch to two and a half inches of rain in the area.

Shortly before 2 p.m., Saturday, weather watchers were called out and tornado sirens were sounded in Paynesville, Eden Valley, and Richmond. There were no official reports of a tornado sighted.

Strong winds lifted the garage roof off its base at the home of Theresa Strand on County Road 181 near Lake Koronis and flipped it up onto the house roof.

The Paynesvlle Police Department reported two accidents occurring as a result of the storm. A motorcyclist was blown off the road and a camper and canoe were flipped off a trailer. Both incidents happened on Highway 23 near the golf course. No one was injured in either incident.

Dean Bahr, NSP employee, said half of Paynesville was without electricity for about an hour while all of Eden Valley was without power. Bahr added the north shore of Lake Koronis, near the Assembly Grounds, was without power four to five hours. NSP crews were out all night repairing power lines broken by falling tree branches.

Jane Stoneburner, rural Paynesville, reported they were without electricity for 13 hours.

A spokesperson for Stearns Electric Association said the power outages were few but scattered.

Between midnight and 1 a.m., another storm passed through the area, this time dropping pea to marble size hail in Paynesville.

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