Tornado watch for Twin Cities metro area and much of Minnesota until midnight Sunday

The Storm Prediction Center of the National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch until midnight Sunday night for central Minnesota, the Twin Cities metro area and a portion of southern Minnesota:

Here are details of the tornado watch:

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED Tornado Watch Number 526 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 600 PM CDT Sun Aug 28 2022 The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a * Tornado Watch for portions of Central and southern Minnesota * Effective this Sunday night from 600 PM until Midnight CDT. * Primary threats include... A couple tornadoes possible Scattered damaging winds and isolated significant gusts to 80 mph possible Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 2.5 inches in diameter possible SUMMARY...A few discrete to semi-discrete supercells should develop across west-central to central Minnesota through dusk. This activity will likely congeal into an organized cluster approaching east to south-central Minnesota in the late evening. The tornado watch area is approximately along and 60 statute miles north and south of a line from 50 miles northwest of Redwood Falls MN to 25 miles northeast of Minneapolis MN. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU6). PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... REMEMBER...A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings. && OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 524...WW 525... AVIATION...Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to 2.5 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 70 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 550. Mean storm motion vector 27030.

The Storm Prediction Center of the National Weather Service has also issued a severe thunderstorm watch until 11 p.m. Sunday for much of northern Minnesota:

Here are details of the severe thunderstorm watch:

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED Severe Thunderstorm Watch Number 525 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 440 PM CDT Sun Aug 28 2022 The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a * Severe Thunderstorm Watch for portions of Northern Minnesota * Effective this Sunday afternoon and evening from 440 PM until 1100 PM CDT. * Primary threats include... Scattered damaging winds and isolated significant gusts to 75 mph possible Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 2 inches in diameter possible A tornado or two possible SUMMARY...Initial thunderstorm cluster across northwest Minnesota should spread east this evening, while additional semi-discrete supercells may develop south of it and merge into a broadening cluster towards northeast Minnesota towards late evening. The severe thunderstorm watch area is approximately along and 80 statute miles east and west of a line from 25 miles south southwest of Brainerd MN to 90 miles north northwest of Hibbing MN. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU5). PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... REMEMBER...A Severe Thunderstorm Watch means conditions are favorable for severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings. Severe thunderstorms can and occasionally do produce tornadoes. && OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 524... AVIATION...A few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to 2 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 65 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean storm motion vector 24030.

Although they are not in a severe weather watch, portions of western Wisconsin could also see a severe thunderstorm Sunday evening.

You can track showers and thunderstorms on the new interactive radar on the MPR weather page.

We will have updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the Minnesota Public Radio News network, and on the MPR News live weather blog.