Minnesota Residents Use Snow Blowers to Remove Hail

Residents in suburban Minneapolis hauled out their snow blowers after a quick-moving hail storm left the area looking like winter.

Hail piled up in local roads and led to flooding Sunday in Coon Rapids, prompting public works crews to use front-end loaders and even a snowplow to clear away several inches of hail from the streets, KARE-TV reported.

“It was like a snow storm — of hail,” said local resident Ron Busch, who estimated the storm lasted about 20 minutes.

Busch said he had pulled out his snow blower to clear away some of the hail.

Another resident, Liz Birkelo, said the storm hit hard, fast and loud.

“Kind of unbelievable,” she said. “Mother nature decides to say hello every once in a while.”

No injuries were reported due to the weather, according to Anoka County emergency dispatchers. But there were reports of property damage, such as shredded screens and holes in the siding of homes.

Some longtime residents told the television station that in 40 years of living in the area, they’d never seen anything like the piles of hail that accumulated during the storm.

Coon Rapids is about 15 miles north of Minneapolis.