MINNEAPOLIS - Not even the new home of the Minnesota Vikings could escape the wrath of mother nature Tuesday night.
On Wednesday, crews were seen repairing zinc panels outside U.S Bank Stadium, apparently damaged during severe weather that rolled through the Twin Cities metro.
Learning a few zinc panels came off the new @usbankstadium during last nights storm. "Working to find answers." pic.twitter.com/tfZEiuE7cK
— Zachery Lashway (@ZachLashway) July 6, 2016
Stadium officials say about a dozen or so panels were damaged, most of them on the northwest side of the structure. None of the panels fell to the ground.
Stadium officials say they're "working to find answers" as to why the new, roughly $1 billion stadium was damaged. Faulty gutters were to blame for water damage the panels sustained in February. General contractor Mortenson Construction made those repairs and Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority Chair Michele Kelm-Helgen said it will work with the company to repair the latest damage.
A U.S. Bank Stadium ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held July 22, with an open house planned for July 23 and 24. The Vikings first regular-season home game will be Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m. against the Green Bay Packers, televised on KARE 11.
