JANESVILLE, Minn. — The National Weather Service investigated damage in Waseca and Blue Earth counties, after tornado touchdowns were reported in multiple parts of southern Minnesota.
The NWS have confirmed four tornadoes as of Monday evening, and more may be confirmed based on spotter footage.
The NWS relies on volunteers storm spotters when there are severe weather events. So when Brad Gerdts of Janesville saw several reports of tornadoes touching down in southern Minnesota, he knew he needed to step up.
"I left the girlfriend here all by her lonesome," he said.
He was about six miles away when he got a call for his girlfriend that the storm was right over their property.
"Here I am out looking for it, and it came looking for me!" he said.
The National Weather Service is investigating those tornado reports and visiting properties like the Gerdts to track the path and strength of the possible tornado.
"It does seem like it was tornadic far with how strong it was," said Melissa Dye, a meteorologist with NWS. "We need to look at a couple other things. It was a lot of tree damage. We also had some flooding."
Dye said that luckily, there were no reports of injuries.
The National Weather Service says it helps keep people safe with help from people like Brad, who help spot dangerous weather conditions.
They may have missed each other, but Brad will be ready in case of another storm.