National Weather Service Warns Minnesotans to Prepare to be Without Heat

There's a chance for bad storms, including possible tornados across southern Minnesota tonight. Because of the high wind warning in our area, the National Weather Service is warning Minnesotans to prepare to possibly be without heat "for a prolonged period of time."

The National Weather Service has a high wind warning issued for Dodge, Winona, Wabasha, Olmsted, Mower, and Fillmore counties beginning at 6 PM tonight, December 15th, until tomorrow at 6 AM. During that time we can expect to see winds 30 to 40 mph and wind gusts up to 65 mph. Those wind gusts are what could cause some major damage.

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KTTC shared information last night on their Facebook page that when winds reach between 60 and 70 mph that's when trees can get uprooted and power lines could come down. And based on their predictions from last night, the wind gusts will really start to pick up to those high speeds around 10 PM tonight.

In case the worst-case scenario happens, here are things you should have around in case you're without power in your home, from Xcel Energy:

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)

Manufacturer's instructions on how to manually open power-operated doors (e.g., garage doors)

If the power goes out that means there's also the possibility of losing heat in your home. While today would be a fine day to be without heat it looks like temperatures are supposed to drop overnight with only a high of 28 tomorrow.

Stay aware of the weather tonight and stay safe!

Keep scrolling to see the 11 most devastating weather disasters in Minnesota throughout the years.

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