Five years since the deadly wind storm

Five years ago, hurricane-like winds ripped across the Northland.

"Disbelief. Total Disbelief. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, it was like waking up to a dream."

Many people were woken in the middle of the night to the sounds of trees breaking in half. A resident in the Woodland neighborhood told us her an app notification alerted her to the storm, and just minutes later, a decades-old tree in her front yard was lying horizontal.

Power companies estimate as many as 75,000 customers were in the dark. Minnesota Power representative Amy Rutledge said the storm was the worst the company’s electrical system has seen in 15 years.

‘We’re comparing this to the 2001 Ice Storm," said Rutledge in 2016. "And in that particular incident — dangerous weather conditions, but now we’re talking about another dangerous weather condition — the heat."

Power was eventually returned to the Northland, six days after the storm blew its course.

The storm caused the deaths of two people, who officials said were camping when it hit.