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Tim Nelson and Jon Collins

Xcel: Power back to nearly all customers after storms

Damaged hobby farm in Hollywood Township
A hobby farm in Hollywood Township, Minn., sustained serious damage from overnight storms over the weekend. No one was injured.
Renee Tessman | KARE 11 News via Twitter

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Updated: 1:58 p.m. | Posted: 8:39 a.m

Xcel Energy says it has restored electricity to nearly all of its 250,000 Minnesota customers who lost power after strong weekend storms.

Only about 400 outages remain, said Xcel spokesperson Thomas Hoen early Monday afternoon. He said many of those customers may have damage to the power connection directly to their homes and will need an electrician to repair it before the power can be turned back on.

Cleanup still continues in parts of the state, however, after high winds and heavy rain swept across central Minnesota and western Wisconsin Friday night. The National Weather Service reported straight-line winds as high as 70 mph.

The hardest-hit area in Minnesota was near Waconia and Watertown, where the National Weather Service confirmed an EF1 tornado with 105 mph winds.

Watertown Mayor Steve Washburn said some buildings in the city were damaged by fallen tree limbs. Roofs were also blown off new dugouts in a Watertown baseball field.

"We're going around digging up branches, and leaves and debris," Washburn said. "Our primary focus from a city perspective is getting the roads and streets completely cleared, then we're going to be transitioning to some trails where there's major branches blocking the trails."

Many of the fallen trees and power lines in the area have already been cleared, said Carver County emergency management director Deb Paige.

A number of barns and building roofs in the area have been damaged, Paige said. A few local horse farms were damaged and several animals were killed. The county has called the Minnesota Horse Council's disaster program to help care for the animals.

Three people received minor injuries after the storm shook down tents at the Rock USA festival in Oshkosh, Wis. One person was also injured near Benson, Minn., after being hit by a fallen branch while in a tent.

About 750 repair workers have been on the job throughout the weekend, including crews from out of state.

Minneapolis residents can bundle up brush and small branches for pickup during weekly garbage service. Each bundle must be no more than three feet long and 40 pounds.