BEMIDJI, Minn., Aug. 19 (UPI) -- A thunderstorm packing powerful winds toppled trees, utility poles and utility lines, and flooded roadways in Minnesota early Friday, officials said.
The storm hit between 1 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. In Bemidji and areas to the east, the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office said.
Falling trees struck several unoccupied cars, downed power lines became tangled in trees and utility crews were working to restore power, The Bemidji Pioneer reported.
"Motorists are urged to use extreme caution when navigating roadways during the morning commute as isolated flash flooding of roadways has been reported," the Sheriff's Office said in a news release.
Elsewhere, Weather.com reported, severe storms were possible later Friday in the Western plains and in eastern Wyoming and Colorado.
Meanwhile, a tropical wave in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean could become a hurricane that could hit the southeastern United States, Accuweather.com reported.
The wave, about halfway between western Africa and the Lesser Antilles, is now a weak tropical system but computer models show it could strengthen into a hurricane that could make U.S. landfall late next week.
That could be prevented by a large mass of African dust, along with stable air and mountainous terrain on Puerto Rico and Hispaniola, Accuweather said.
