Minneapolis Tornado Confirmed by NWS

The National Weather Service has confirmed a tornado touched down just south of downtown Minneapolis on Wednesday before moving north toward downtown.

According to the NWS, the tornado initially touched down near East 53rd and Park Avenues. Weather service tornado damage assessment teams will determine the tornado's intensity and the width and length of its path on the ground.

Reports of a tornado near downtown Minneapolis came in just after 2 p.m. Wednesday. A number of trained National Weather Service storm spotters reported seeing rotation prior to what Minneapolis firefighters characterized as a tornado touchdown.

Video: Truck Pushes Car on Interstate 35W During Storm

Damage in Minneapolis was concentrated along Portland Avenue on the south end of the city, with large trees uprooted and some damage to property.

Minneapolis police and emergency responders finished a door-to-door search of the most affected areas by 6 p.m. Wednesday and reported no injuries. Due to power outages, as a preventive measure, Minneapolis police maintained extra patrols in the area Wednesday night.

The Minneapolis Convention Center sustained approximately 1,800 square feet of roof damage and has some water damage. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America was holding its national convention at the center at the time of the storm. About 2,200 people were registered for the convention. People inside the Convention Center were taken to a safe location, and there were no reports of injury.

Damage at Electric Fetus

The storm blew out windows at the iconic Electric Fetus record store in Minneapolis . Before the dust cleared, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak was at the store, checking in on the safety of everyone in the area and surveying the damage.
Storm came out of nowhere

No tornado warnings were issued in the city before the storm hit. Rain had been falling most of the day in the Twin Cities metro, but the storm came as a major surprise to everyone in the area.

School hit in North Branch

North Branch Middle School , about 50 miles north of the Twin Cities, sustained roof, wall and water damage in Wednesday's storm. No injuries were reported, but summer school activities were cancelled for the near future.

Tornadoes in 4 states

At least six tornadoes were reported in four states on Wednesday. The weather service on Thursday was working to confirm reports of tornados in Brown and Blue Earth counties in southern Minnesota and another across the border in St. Croix County, Wisconsin.

In Cottage Grove, Minn., police caught video of a funnel cloud that touched down around 2:40 p.m. Wednesday.