Storms cause heavy damage in Midwest

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Powerful winds slammed parts of four Midwestern states Wednesday, leaving behind shattered windows, toppled power lines and a handful of injuries. At least a half-dozen suspected tornadoes were reported.

The National Weather Service received reports of a possible tornado near downtown Minneapolis, where winds tore off part of a 90-year-old metal church steeple. Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois were also hit, though the only confirmed tornado as of Wednesday night was in Hastings, about 30 miles southeast of Minneapolis, where a 100-yard-long swath of trees was flattened.

Jack Freitag said he was standing in the lobby of the Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis when he saw “a wall cloud from the south coming across the parking lot.” Then a “very loud roar” came through as he saw signs being blown around in the wind.

The wind tore off part of the church’s 90-year-old metal steeple around 2 p.m. while about 120 people were inside, said church spokesman Joe Bjordal.

“I was worried about the people then,” said Freitag, who told everyone to seek shelter in the church’s basement. No one was injured.

Outside the church, strong winds ripped apart large outdoor tents and scattered chairs and folding tables across the parking lot that were set up for the national Evangelical Lutheran Church in America convention. The church was scheduled to serve breakfast to guests attending the event at the Minneapolis Convention Center next door.

Meteorologist Dan Luna said it was the sort of storm that meteorologists dread — it didn’t look dangerous until it was.

“We worry about the really benign thunderstorm that develops a tornado in the metropolitan area,” Luna said. “These short-lived ones form very quickly and dissipate very fast. They are very hard to predict.”

Luna said crews would evaluate the damage in downtown Minneapolis to see if there was more.

About 40 miles north in the town of North Branch, police said the middle school suffered severe water and structural damage from a reported tornado.

A possible tornado also was spotted about 60 miles east of Minneapolis in Emerald, Wis.

In northeast Iowa, a barn roof was blown off near Stanley but only minor damage was reported, local officials said.

The National Weather Service reported tornadoes may have touched down near Manchester in west-central Illinois and at Loami southwest of Springfield. Trees and power lines were down.