Hayward KOA Rocked By Weekend Thunderstorm

Every year, a group of us gets together and camps at the Hayward KOA. This weekend was definitely one to remember as a powerful line of thunderstorms came crashing through the campground early Sunday morning.

We love going to the Hayward KOA because the kids have plenty to do and we can just relax and hang out. I was so relaxed that I wasn't even paying attention to the forecast. I got a text message from my mother worrying about us because Duluth TV stations were saying Hayward was going to be hit hard that night.

Sure enough, I pulled up my phone and saw a risk of severe weather. Fortunately, all the kids were asleep in our campers when the storm came. It honestly didn't look that bad on the radar, and there were no tornado watches or warnings, so I thought it was best to just let them sleep through it.

Sometime after 1 am, the storm arrived. Pinecones from the trees hitting the camper sounded like hail. The camper started to rock a bit from the wind. Lightning was close, and the thunder was deafening.

Then a deluge of rain. It was the heaviest rain I've witnessed all summer.

We woke up the next morning to the sound of chainsaws running. Several trees came crashing down. A minivan parked next to a cabin had its windshield smashed by a tree branch. I heard of another vehicle on the other side of the campground that was crushed.

We noticed a camper that was hit by a tree after the tree was uprooted.

I didn't hear of anyone being injured, so that's good news. The staff were up and helping people out right away. We already booked our sites for next year. A little rough weather won't keep us away from the KOA.