MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — A tense and stormy night hit the Twin Cities as tornado sirens blared shortly after 12:30 a.m. (local time) on Sunday, June 29, waking residents across Minneapolis, Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, Shakopee, Bloomington, Edina, St. Louis Park, and Burnsville.
The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning following radar-confirmed rotation in the west metro, marking the second tornado alert of the season for Minneapolis. Emergency alerts urged residents to seek shelter immediately, preferably in basements or interior rooms away from windows.
By 1 a.m., Xcel Energy reported over 44,000 power outages across its Minnesota service area. The storm severely impacted local infrastructure, leaving neighborhoods without electricity and disrupting overnight routines.
In Minnetonka, video footage captured what appeared to be rotation in the clouds, while earlier at 12:15 a.m., a tornado was reportedly observed near Cologne, in Carver County. Meteorologists also detected debris lofted into the air, tracked by radar south of Waconia, adding to the urgency of the warning.
Shortly after the initial alert, the tornado was no longer visible, though the National Weather Service cautioned that the system remained dangerous and could quickly spawn another twister. The wording was direct: it’s “not a storm to be messed with.”
As the tornado threat diminished, a severe thunderstorm warning took its place, with winds exceeding 60 mph (97 km/h) sweeping across the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area. Meanwhile, flash flood warnings were issued for Wright County, west of the metro, highlighting the multi-hazard nature of the overnight system.
Conditions remain unstable across the region early this morning, with continued thunderstorm development expected as temperatures hold in the upper 60s to low 70s Fahrenheit (20–23 °C) and humidity stays elevated.
