Residents of Minneapolis and the surrounding areas should prepare for a series of weather changes, including rain, thunderstorms, and a slight cool down in temperature, according to reports from the National Weather Service in Twin Cities/Chanhassen, MN. Thunderstorms are mainly expected before 2:00 p.m. today with a high near 78 degrees and a west-southwest wind blowing at 5 to 10 mph. The chance of precipitation stands high at 80%, with new rainfall amounts ranging between a tenth and a quarter of an inch, possibly higher in thunderstorms.
Heading into the evening, showers and thunderstorms are likely continuing before 1:00 a.m., and then there's a slight chance of showers between 1:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. The overcast skies will hang low with a temperature bottoming around 56 degrees with identical wind conditions. The National Weather Service expects a 70% chance of precipitation tonight and cautions that new rainfall amounts to possibly reach between a quarter and a half of an inch.
Looking ahead to Wednesday, there's a 30 percent chance of showers after 1:00 p.m. amidst partly sunny skies with a cooler high near 64 degrees, while a north-northwest wind is expected to blow a bit stronger at 10 to 15 mph. The subsequent days will continue to see partly sunny skies and chances of showers, with temperatures hovering in the low 60s during the day and mid-40s to low 50s at night, a pattern persisting into the weekend.
The National Weather Service also issued a hazardous weather outlook early this morning for multiple counties across central and southern Minnesota and parts of west central Wisconsin. "Additional thunderstorms are expected to develop this afternoon and evening along a cold front," the weather service detailed, warning about a level 1 of 5 severe risk with the storms. Damaging wind gusts and large hail will be the primary hazards, the outlook indicates. The SKYWARN spotter activation may be needed today, and no hazardous weather is expected from Wednesday through the beginning of next week.
