PHOTOS: Mendota Heights Tornado Confirmed by National Weather Service

The half mile long twister tore up trees and caused damage to homes and cars.

The National Weather Service has confirmed that a tornado touched down in northern Mendota Heights Saturday. The twister had a half mile long path length near Pickerel Lake and knocked down trees and power lines and caused damage to homes and cars. Leighton Siegel, a Woodridge Drive resident who was adamant that he had heard a tornado that sounded like "an airplane flying through our backyard," felt vindicated by the NWS's announcement. "Thinking back I realize that a number of trees had fallen in different directions which would not have happened with a straight-line wind." The tornado touched down near Lilydale, between Wachlter and Butler Ave, paralleling Highway 13, according to the NWS. (See attached map.) Shawn Finnegan, a Diego Lane…

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UPDATED: Tornado Touches Down in Mendota Heights (Photos)

A Mendota Heights resident living near Pickerel Lake said Saturday evening's storm "sounded like an airplane flying through our backyard."

Updated Nov. 14, 10 a.m.: The National Weather Service has confirmed that a tornado touched down in northern Mendota Heights Saturday. The tornado had a path length of about a half mile and landed near Lilydale, between Wachlter and Butler Ave, paralleling Highway 13. --- On Saturday evening Leighton and Dianne Siegel were asleep in their home on the 700 block of Woodridge Drive, by Pickerel Lake, when they were awoken by the thunderstorm that spawned two confirmed tornadoes in Burnsville and Eagan. Leighton Siegel said there was no doubt in his mind that a tornado swept through Mendota Heights. “We were woken up about 11 o’clock, and it sounded like an airplane flying through our backyard,” Siegel said. “I don’t think it could be anything…

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Zac Farber

1:13 pm on Tuesday, November 13, 2012

It sounds like it was likely a "straight-line wind." It's a pretty interesting weather phenomenon. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derecho   more ›

November Storm Spawns Two Confirmed Tornadoes in Dakota County

The tornadoes touched down briefly in Burnsville and Eagan on Saturday night, according to the National Weather Service.

A rare November thunderstorm on Saturday night spawned two weak tornadoes, which touched briefly down in Burnsville and Eagan, according to a National Weather Service storm report. The first tornado spun up northeast of the intersection of County Road 5 and McAndrews Road in Burnsville around 10:58 p.m., according to weather service officials. The tornado, an "EF0" on the Fujita scale, had maximum wind speeds of 80 mph. As the storm cell tracked northeast, the tornado blew down numerous trees and power lines and bent a stop sign all the way to the ground, the weather service said. It dissipated just southwest of the intersection of Burnsville Parkway and Hwy. 11. Seven minutes later, another tornado struck near Skyline Drive east of Hwy. …

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UPDATED: MN Legislature Passes $167M Storm and Flood Relief

Mendota Heights will receive a portion of state funds designated for storm-related expenses.

Update (5 p.m. Friday): The Minnesota Legislature approved a $167 million storm damage aid package in a special session on Friday. Dakota County is eligible to receive compensation for storm damage incurred this summer.  Rep. Rick Hansen (D-South St. Paul), Rep. Joe Atkins (D-Inver Grove Heights) and Sen. Jim Metzen (D-South St. Paul) voted in favor of the package, which will address storm damage throughout the state. “I’m very pleased we were able to come together and do the right thing for the people of Minnesota who’ve had their lives turned upside down by this disaster,” said Hansen in a statement. “Duluth and Northern Minnesota certainly deserve most of the attention and funding, but it’s great that we were able to include Dakota …

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Joe Atkins

7:30 am on Sunday, August 26, 2012

An update,,, The governor signed the storm aid package into law late on Friday. Reimbursement of emergency storm expenses incurred by the City of Mendota Heights is included in the package.   more ›

Mendota Heights Could Receive Disaster State Aid through Special Session

Storm-damaged cities in Dakota County will likely be included in a state aid package.

Dakota County will be eligible to receive funding approved in an anticipated special session to address storm damage in the state, according to Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director Kris Eide. A special session has been tentatively scheduled for Aug. 24. The county's eligibility was confirmed through a question posed to Eide by Rep. Rick Hansen (D-South St. Paul) during a disaster relief work group hearing Aug. 6. In early July, 13 Minnesota counties were declared eligible for federal disaster relief aid after storms and severe flooding hit parts of the state including Duluth. A strong storm June 22 caused widespread power outages and tree damage in Dakota County. The county incurred about $150 million in damages, according …

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Minute with the Mayor: FEMA to Review Mendota Heights Storm Damage

Mendota Heights Patch sits down with the mayors of Mendota Heights, Mendota and Lilydale for regular city updates—all in about a minute.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be reviewing records of damage and costs incurred from the June 19 storm that rolled through the Mendota Heights area. All told, about 90 cubic yards of wood chips were hauled away from curbs and city property, according to Public Works Director John Mazzitello. Mayor Sandra Krebsbach added that the city kept watch over the fallen trees and the debris pile at Mendakota Park, but there was never any indication that it was a fire hazard.   FEMA officials are expected in the city Aug. 2. Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter | Follow us on Twitter 

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Mendota Heights Finishes Storm Cleanup Sweep

No more debris will be accepted by the city.

Mendota Heights public works crews have officially completed their sweep of city streets for storm debris. Entire neighborhoods suffered extensive tree and powerline damage after straight-line winds swept through June 19. As of noon on Tuesday, crews have driven each street and cleared debris brought to the curb, according to the city's website update:

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Dakota County Eligible For Federal Disaster Funding

Preliminary assessments revealed more than $108 million in cost damages after June's storms.

Dakota County was included today on a list of 13 Minnesota counties and three tribal nations declared eligible for disaster relief funding after last month's severe storms and flooding.  Preliminary assessments revealed more than $108 million in cost damages, according to a release from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.  Under Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) guidelines, the federal government will fund 75 percent of the approved cost; the remaining 25 percent is a state/local match. Those counties scheduled to receive funding include: Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Crow Wing, Dakota, Goodhue, Kandiyohi, Lake, Meeker, Pine, Rice, Sibley and St. Louis.  Tribal nations deemed eligible for federal funding include: Fond du Lac, …

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Letters to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Erosion Prevention is Cheaper than Clean-Up

Storm damage in the wake of soil and water conservation budget cuts highlights the need for "small but smart investments," writes author.

To the editor: Minnesotans have pulled together and responded to severe storm damage throughout the state. We are now in the process of recovering again from some of the worst flooding our state has ever seen. Northeastern Minnesota and parts of southern Minnesota saw high levels of rainfall in a short duration and have the flooding and damage to prove it. As we have several times during the past few years, the legislature will convene a special session to help communities devastated by floods and storms. Minnesotans do the right thing and we come together to help those in need. However, we know how and have the ability to prevent disaster damage and minimize the costs of clean-up. Some effective protections are those soil conservation and…

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