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Image courtesy National Weather Service

People respond to tree damage near Emmons Monday. Photo courtesy Kasey Wolters

An uprooted tree sits on the ground in Wells. Photo courtesy Susan Lee

An uprooted tree sits on the ground in Wells. Photo courtesy Susan Lee

Stephanie Lee took this photo near Walters. Provided

The National Weather Service has identified several preliminary reports of tornadoes in south-central Minnesota, including one south of Wells and two more in southwestern Freeborn County near Conger and Emmons.

In Iowa, another was reported east of Northwood in Carpenter.

The reports come after the Weather Service Monday first issued a tornado watch for much of the area, followed by tornado warnings. The tornado warning sirens sounded four times in Freeborn County.

Tornado reports came in as early as about 5:30 p.m. northeast of St. James and west of La Salle, followed by a tornado three miles north of Winnebago at 6:30 p.m. Damage to trees was reported three miles west Easton on Highway 109 at 7:02 p.m.

About 30 minutes later, flash flooding in Wells was reported at about 7:30 p.m., followed by reports of a tornado one mile south of Wells at 7:32 p.m. and a funnel cloud about 50 feet off the ground two miles north of Alden.

At 7:59 p.m., a tornado was reported four miles south of Conger with another reported three miles northwest of Emmons at 8:01 p.m.

Three reports of tornadoes came in south of Janesville east of Pemberton.

Bernice Mattson, who lives on 115th Street southeast of Bear Lake, said her son was on the highway near her neighbors on 690th Avenue, when he sent her husband, Randy, a photo of a tornado in the area he had gotten from someone else.

“Our son was watching it,” she said. “I heard him say on the speaker phone, ‘You better get down in the basement right now.’”

Mattson said she went into the basement, while her husband did not initially.

“It was directly in line for our home,” she said.

But instead of continuing on the ground, the tornado lifted into the sky over their home.

“I’m kind of in shock,” Mattson said. “I can’t imagine what people go through who get hit by tornadoes.”

She said a small acreage near them received some damage to trees in a nearby grove.

Check back for more information as it becomes available.

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