MINNEAPOLIS — Several communities and utility companies are advising residents and customers to take precautions ahead of potentially unprecedented severe weather in southern Minnesota on Wednesday.
The National Weather Service says a "moderate risk" of severe storms is forecast for the southeastern corner of the state for late Wednesday afternoon and evening, marking the farthest north such a severe weather risk has ever been reported in the month of December.
The greatest risk with the system is strong winds.
Minnesota Emergency Management officials are advising Minnesotans to think about where to find shelter during dangerous weather.
The City of Minneapolis put out a series of social media posts on Wednesday morning, also advising residents to be cautious and prepared ahead of the possible unusual weather:
- Have a plan: Make sure to have a family emergency plan, including a way to receive emergency alerts
- Stay away from downed power lines: Never touch a downed line, but do report it to your local utility.
- If you lose power, report the outage to your local utility by phone or online, if available.
St. Paul Emergency Management is also reminding homeowners to secure any items in their yards that could be picked up by the strong wind in the forecast.
Xcel Energy advises customers to put together a home emergency kit for power outages that includes:
- Battery-powered radio or television
- Flashlights
- Batteries
- Back up phone chargers
- A phone that does not require electricity
- Non-electric alarm clock
- Bottled water and nonperishable food
- Manual can opener
- First aid kit
- Extension cords (for partial outages)
- Instructions to manually open power-operated doors (like garage doors)
Xcel also advises homeowners with natural gas heat to ensure that snow, ice or debris is cleared from the area around natural gas meters.
Xcel Energy says customers who experience a power outage can report it by calling 800-895-1999 for residential customers, or 1-800-481-4700 for business customers. Outages can also be reported by texting OUT to 98936, or customers can report an outage online.
Minnesota Power, which serves multiple communities in the state, similarly reminds customers to keep flashlights and extra batteries available, as well as a battery-powered radio or television to stay up-to-date on weather alerts.
Minnesotans will also want to be prepared for rapidly falling temps that could cause icy conditions on the roads on Thursday morning. Hennepin County said its plow crew will be ready to respond to changing conditions overnight.
KARE 11's weather team will be tracking the storms throughout the day. Track live radar on our website, or by downloading the KARE 11 app; and get the latest information in the forecast in our daily weather article.
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