28-04-2025
Live storm updates: Tornado watch issued in Minnesota
Monday is poised to be a severe weather day in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa as a potent storm system collides with potentially ideal atmospheric conditions, setting the stage for storms that could produce strong tornadoes, damaging winds and very large hail.
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The first tornado watch of the day has been issued in Minnesota, covering a large swath of central, west-central, and southwestern Minnesota.
The watch went into effect at 12:30 p.m. and will remain in effect until 8 p.m.
The watch covers the following counties: Brown, Chippewa, Cottonwood, Jackson, Kandiyohi, Lac Qui Parle, Lincoln, Lyon, Martin, McLeod, Meeker, Murray, Nicollet, Nobles, Pipestone, Pope, Redwood, Renville, Rock, Sibley, Stearns, Stevens, Swift, Watonwan and Yellow Medicine.
Minneapolis Public Schools has followed the city's lead in closing early, canceling after-school activities.
"Caregivers, students will be sent home on their regular bus or please make arrangements to pick up students immediately after school. Buildings and Minneapolis Kids will remain open until all students are picked up," the note to parents reads.
Read more here.
The Twin Cities continues to be in the highest-risk zone for strong tornadoes late Monday afternoon into the evening.
Large hail in excess of 2 inches in diameter is also a significant threat.
The City of Minneapolis says it is closing its public-facing offices on Monday afternoon in anticipation of Monday's severe weather.
"The National Weather Service predicts the risk of severe storms in Minneapolis to be unusually high – a level 4 of 5 – with tornadoes, large hail, damaging winds, and frequent lightning likely," the city said.
The city's non-emergency facilities, including its Service Center, will close at 2 p.m. Meanwhile its 311 call center has had its hours extended to 9 p.m. "to take storm-related calls."
Residents are advised to ensure they have multiple ways to receive alerts, and be prepared to take shelter in a basement or interior room.
"The most dangerous period is likely during the late afternoon and evening when strong tornado potential should be maximized. Scattered large to very large hail and damaging winds are likely as well," says the 11:30 a.m. update from the SPC.
"Storms will be most numerous over central MN, with increasingly sparse development with southward extent across IA. Supercells capable of strong tornadoes and very large hail appear likely. Storms will track into western WI during the evening with a continued risk of significant severe weather."
This from the Storm Prediction Center: "Isolated convection may develop over the next couple of hours from far eastern South Dakota into southwest Minnesota, northwest Iowa, and possibly northeast Nebraska. Large hail and damaging gusts would be initial risk, though a tornado risk also could increase with time/eastern extent. Area is being monitored for possible watch issuance."
The 9 a.m. update from the HRRR model shows storms redeveloping in south-central Minnesota around 3-4 p.m., with those storms advancing to the east and impacting the Twin Cities, Mankato and Rochester during the early evening hours.
The latest NAM3km model, however, doesn't show the squall line developing mid-afternoon. It appears to try and develop cells in south-central Minnesota, but instead waits until some supercells fire in southwestern Minnesota between 5-7 p.m.
The Storm Prediction has placed a moderate risk -- level 4 of 5 on the severe scale -- over the Twin Cities, Mankato and Rochester. In the images below, you'll see the severe weather outlook, both zoom out on the region and zoomed in on Minnesota, along with the tornado and hail threat zones.
