A large evergreen tree was uprooted in Oakwood Estates mobile home park by the windstorm that hit New Ulm Thursday night and Saturday morning. New Ulm Airport reported wind speeds of 63 MPH.

NEW ULM — For those who enjoy powerful winter storms, Thursday night was not a disappointment.

Winds measured by a road sensor reached 74 mph near Hector, according to National Weather Service (NWS) Chanhassen Meteorologist Jake Beitlich.

He said other area wind speeds were reached 72 mph according to a Springfield road sensor, 71 at the Redwood Falls Airport, 64 in St. James, 63 at the New Ulm Airport, 62 at the Olivia Airport and 60 at the Mankato Airport.

“That (wind) was something wasn’t It?” said Beitlich. “The wind was caused by low pressure, not a thunderstorm. That’s about a high as wind speed as you will see from low pressure.”

In New Ulm, the wind knocked down large boulevard tree branches near 5th Street North and on Garden Street plus many smaller branches around town, said New Ulm Public Works Superintendent Jeff Hoffmann.

New Ulm Public Utilities Assistant Electric Distribution Supervisor Jeff Folkens said a couple downed trees hit service lines, causing power outages of about 30 minutes overnight.

“I thought we were very fortunate to have only two brief, isolated outages with all the wind we had,” said Folkens.

Sleepy Eye City Manager Bob Elston said some siding blew off the north side of the Sleepy Eye Community Center, just north of the city hall.

If that wasn’t enough, you may get your fill and then some this weekend.

The NWS issued a Winter Storm Warning from 7 p.m. Saturday to 7 a.m. Monday. Heavy, mixed precipitation expected with winds as high as 50 mph in Blue Earth, Brown, Dakota, Goodhue, Le Sueur, McLeod, Meeker, Nicollet, Rice, Scott, Sibley, Steele, Waseca and Watonwan Counties.

“Get ready for this weekend. The winds won’t be as strong, but we’re looking at lots of snow, more than a foot over a pretty wide part of the Minnesota. Some places may get up to 18 inches. Other areas could see a foot of snow Saturday,” said Beitlich. “On Sunday, winds will change from the northeast to the northwest and increase. We want folks to take this storm seriously. Don’t travel if you don’t have to. If traveling, fill your tank with gas, have a charged phone with you.”

The NWS urged motorists to keep an extra flashlight, food and water in their vehicle. Call 511 or visit 511mn.org for road conditions.

“We’ll warm up next week. By Wednesday, this will be a distant memory with snow melting,” said Beitlich.