MILLE LACS COUNTY - Two tornadoes touched down in this rural county north of the Twin Cities metro on Monday with winds exceeding 80 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service.
The first EF-0 tornado occurred north of Milaca, and the second EF-1 developed just southeast of town. Emergency management officials with Mille Lacs County told KARE 11 there were no injuries, though the storm resulted in some significant damage -- particularly at the site of the second tornado.
The 90 mile-per-hour winds in that tornado leveled Riley Heggem's barn and carried debris as far as a mile away. Across the street from Heggem's property, metal from his barn could be seen hanging in the trees.
"Everything is just tossed," Heggem said. "The whole barn got picked up and tossed."
Heggem could now have an insurance claim worth thousands of dollars, though he's still not sure of the exact figures. He hopes his policy will help him build an entirely new barn to replace the old one, a 250-by-40 foot structure.
Heggem's home, fortunately, was not extensively damaged.
Emergency management officials said that, overall, two to three homes were damaged by the second tornado, but there were no injuries associated with any of Monday's storms.