Early morning storms leave damage and power outages across the state

(KMSP) - Storms rolled through the state early Thursday leaving downed trees and downed power lines causing power outages on what could be the hottest day of the year.  

In Beltrami County, several campers were rescued from the Superior National Forest where a storm knocked down trees. The sheriff’s office says two or three campers were hurt during the storm.

The storm in St. Louis County caused extensive damage from Duluth to Ely, with downed trees causing power outages. The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office is advising the public not to travel. They want people who have to travel to treat all intersections as a four-way stop. Authorities and Minnesota Power are working to restore power in the area.

In The Twin Cities, strong winds knocked down trees that hit power lines leaving residents without power.

According to Xcel Energy, the storms left 65,000 customers without power and crews are still working to restore power to 9,000. There’s no estimate of when power will be restored.

An excessive heat warning is in place until 7 p.m. Friday.