Tornado Hits Downtown Minneapolis

wcc(p)o.com ^

[TypeZoNegative]

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ― The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for the counties that include Minneapolis and St. Paul, and says it has received a report of a tornado just north of downtown.

The weather services say it received reports of the tornado at 2:11 p.m. Wednesday. Radar shows the storm is moving north at about 20 mph. It reportedly damaged a downtown church.

The tornado warning covers central Anoka County, northeastern Hennepin County and western Ramsey County. It remains in effect until 2:45 p.m.

Electric Fetus reported on their Twitter page that their building sustained damage and had closed.

Viewer photos showed downed trees in south Minneapolis.

[TypeZoNegative]

This area is not too far away from the Metrodome. It's god's retribution for allowing Favre to be a Viking. Now, if one can only hit DT Saint Paul for allowing Franken to become our senator.

But all kidding aside, I was nearly by the area today on my bike, about to lift weights at my college. I decided to surf here instead before lifting weights.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

EF-0? That’s not even a fricking gust of wind.

[Keith in Iowa]

Did it suck the roof off the dome? That would be retribution from G_d. :)

[GeronL]

F-0?? Isn’t that just a big dust devil?

[Abathar]

It was just Franken getting back in town, it’s the only scale big enough to grade how bad he sucks.

[NCC-1701]

Did Ted Baxter from WSM-TV do a special report?

[Keith in Iowa]

http://www.wcco.com/video/?id= href=”mailto:65504@wcco.dayport.com”>65504@wcco.dayport.com

[Rebelbase]

Just because I wanted to know: “The Electric Fetus is a record store with locations in Minneapolis, Duluth and St. Cloud in Minnesota.”

[tongue-tied]

“Electric Fetus”? What kind of a business is that?

[reagan_fanatic]

I’ve passed gas faster than an EF-0.

[Rebelbase]

The nose hair of God.

[tongue-tied]

AH...Google...sure. Show off.

LOL

[Pistolshot]

T

M

I

[brewcrew]

I’ve passed gas faster than an EF-0.

Which is why you live where you do and I live where I do.

[Abathar]

[mazack]

Warning until 2:45 p.m.? The siren is going off again in St. Paul (3:20 p.m.)...

[TypeZoNegative]

God might be affecting both cities for both follies.

[OB1kNOb]

Now this is a tornado.............

[xjcsa]

Why do you say EF-0 in the headline? The original headline doesn’t say that, and it doesn’t say that anywhere in the story either. It would be unlikely to have an official rating until the NWS does a damage assessment, which takes awhile.

[blueyon]

God please be with these people, keep them safe.

[Star Traveler]

You said — EF-0? That’s not even a fricking gust of wind.

—

Ummmm..., well, I wouldn’t try standing up in that kind of gust... LOL...

Enhanced F Scale for Tornado Damage

An update to the the original F-scale by a team of meteorologists and wind engineers, to be implemented in the U.S. on 1 February 2007.

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/efscale/ef-scale.html

[mazack]

Thank you for your concern.

[TypeZoNegative]

My bad. I was looking up EF-0 tornados on wikipedia and I accidently put EF0 while I was writing the headline.

[maggief]

[NormsRevenge]

Also saw a KARE11.com report of a tornado that touched down in Cottage Grove. no reports of damage or injuries at this time.

[Star Traveler]

Fujita scale
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fujita_scale

Enhanced Fujita Scale
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enhanced_Fujita_Scale
[this is the one that is in effect now...]

[maggief]

Slideshow:

http://www.kare11.com/11slideshows/August%2019%20Severe%20Weather/default.aspx

[NormsRevenge]

Thanks!

[Finalapproach29er]

You guys don’t want to be hit by a falling tree or piece of debris traveling 80-90 MPH.

This was an extremely weird event up here.

[My Favorite Headache]

That is the finger of God.

[Perchant]

I think it wanted to form a tornado but it couldn’t because of all the buildings and structures downtown. Just a theory.

[Sawdring]

I hope the Minneapolis city council and R.T. Rybek is ok. Wouldn’t want to muss the hair of any Metro Sexuals.

[MNDude]

I’m so disappointed! I’m only two blocks away, and I missed the entire thing because my shades were down!

[Egon]

They (City Center building people) announced the “sudden break in weather” (whatever the heck that actually means), and told us to go to our designated shelter areas.

The first thing we all did (likely everyone in the building) was to walk over to the outside windows to see what was going on!

Life is good!

[Sawdring]

Hah, on the number five a guy is on 38th walking around with a plasma screen TV. Wonder how much that cost him.

[mkjessup]

A slightly different camera angle:

"A TORNADO?!?!? WHERE's my effin' HAT?!?!? ohhhh Mr. Graaaaant!"

[txhurl]

That is not an F0. Likely borderline F1/F2.

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

Around 1:30, I was heading south on 35W out of Bloomington heading toward Lakeville. Suddenly, it was raining so hard that I had no bloody idea where I was for about 30 terror filled seconds.

My Mother just closed her eyes and put her head down......

[Sawdring]

Doesn’t sound like fun.

[OrangeHoof]

Where’s FEMA? Why aren’t they there yet?

Obama must hate white people. < /sarc>

[Manic_Episode]

Wrecked a few businesses and vehicles but no one hurt AFAIK.

I'm about 20 miles north and our sirens have gone off 3 or 4 times.

[al_c]

That thing was something else. I work with a survivor of that beast ... it ran right over his house.

[coder2]

The media people are in hysterics..

Talking head on channel 11 just said the tornado tore roofs off of roofs..

then she said look at the down trees and the other talking head said "and branches"

Whatever...

[OB1kNOb]

Over or through his house? Where was he at the time? I bet he had some stories to tell.

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

I’m watching Fox 9 right now. Video from S. Mpls. looks like they got smoked pretty hard....

[dfwgator]

God might be affecting both cities for both follies.

I guess we now know where God stands with regards to Brett Favre signing with the Vikes.

[al_c]

Over or through? I’d say both. He was watching it from his front door thinking what he saw was fences and such flying around. When he realized the objects he saw were vehicles, houses, etc.... and how ginormous the thing actually was, he ducked into the downstairs bathtub. I’m amazed that he survived.

[FourPeas]

We have family in the area. They both work and live downtown. Calls are into them, but no word yet.

[stayathomemom]

My daughter works at Target. The siren went off 20 minutes after they saw debris flying around. I guess it touched down 3 blocks from there. She sent me a link with photos of lots of downed trees southeast of downtown. She lives in Uptown and is concerned about her car.:-(

[FourPeas]

Any crossroads on where in S. Mpls. the damage is?