Thousands without power for a third day after weekend storms in northern Minnesota

Thousands of homes and businesses in Bemidji and the surrounding area entered their third day without power Monday, as cleanup continued following devastating storms over the weekend.

In an update Sunday, Beltrami County officials said a survey of the extensive storm damage to buildings, trees and power lines found wind speeds may have reached 120 mph when the storms barreled through early Saturday. That’s equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane.

There was a 10-mile wide swath of damage across southern Beltrami County, including the city of Bemidji. The storms also caused major damage in other communities, including Cass Lake, Bagley and Mahnomen.

Utility companies reported more than 4,000 customers remained without power Monday morning in Bemidji and those other communities — down from more than 50,000 in the immediate wake of the storms.

And as line crews continued their work to restore power in northwest Minnesota, another round of severe storms affected central and northeastern parts of the state early Monday, knocking out electricity to thousands more customers.

Winds of more than 100 mph knocked down trees, power lines and signs in Bemidji early Saturday, and caused damage to buildings.

Mathew Holding Eagle III | MPR News

Mail service affected

The U.S. Postal Service said Saturday’s severe storms and ongoing power outages have affected mail delivery in the Bemidji area.

Retail services at the Bemidji post office have been temporarily suspended. And the Postal Service said Monday that mail delivery is limited, with downed trees still blocking access to some roads and homes. Officials said full retail and mail delivery operations will resume as soon as conditions allow.

State park damage

Saturday’s severe storms also caused major damage at several state parks.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said Lake Bemidji State Park is temporarily closed due to widespread damage, including downed trees and power lines.

To the south, the DNR said La Salle Lake State Recreation Area and the very popular Itasca State Park also were hit by the storms. They’re still open — but services may be affected by the storm damage.

Officials at Itasca said the park was still without power Monday morning, and park buildings are closed. Water is not currently available in the park.

Roads are open, but there are a lot of downed trees and branches — especially on the north side of the park. The condition of hiking trails at Itasca had not been assessed as of Monday morning.