Remembering The Devastating Duluth Blowdown 10 Years Later

10 years ago this week, many of us in the Northland were without power on one of the hottest weeks of the year. Crews worked around the clock 24/7 fixing power lines and clearing trees after one of the biggest blowdowns happened in recent history.

I woke up on the morning of July 21st, 2016, and something didn't feel right. We had power at our house, so nothing was out of the norm until I left my front door and noticed a lot of debris in the front yard. I started up my truck and turned on the radio and heard Twin Cities radio stations coming through.

That's because the power was out across the entire hillside of Duluth, including the antenna farm. TV stations were off the air, radio stations were knocked out, and it was eerily quiet.

As I drove into work to assess the damage, I saw trees down everywhere. Trees down by Canal Park had been completely uprooted by straight-line winds over 80 miles per hour.

Read More: Update On BWCA Fires As Of July 21st

Huge sections of wilderness and trees were toppled. Buildings were damaged, and airplanes were flipped over at airports. Stores ran out of chainsaws and generators.

The worst part? It was one of the hottest weeks of the year. It was humid and gross, and many of us didn't have air conditioning.

Here's a look at the destruction that happened 10 years ago this week.