Severe storm risk in Minnesota: Damaging wind, hail and tornadoes possible

Severe thunderstorms are possible in Minnesota, with damaging winds, large hail and even isolated tornadoes among the risks late Tuesday afternoon and evening.

The current severe weather outlook from the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center currently puts an area of southwest and southern Minnesota in the "slight risk" for severe storms, an area which includes Mankato and Worthington.

A larger area that includes the Twin Cities is in the "marginal risk" area, meaning storms can't be ruled out depending on how the system develops.

Sign up for our MINNESOTA WEATHER newsletters

The storms will be preceded by warmer weather, with highs in the 60s or 70s likely before the line of storms enters from the southwest, with the NWS forecast discussion saying the leading edge should cross I-35 at around 6 p.m.

"Showers and storms will then persist east into western Wisconsin and should end shortly before midnight," it adds.

"Damaging winds and large hail will serve at the primary threats, however we cannot rule out an isolated tornado or two given the forecast wind profiles," it adds.

The discussion notes that the "marginal risk" zone is in place roughly to I-94 in Minnesota and Wisconsin, however it continues: "While we cannot rule out an isolated instance of damaging wind or hail in the Marginal Risk area, the presence of only a few hundred joules of MUCAPE (Most Unstable Convective Available Potential Energy) should significantly limit the severe weather potential (including in the Twin Cities Metro).

"Rainfall amounts between 0.5" to 0.75" remain the expectation," the discussion notes.

You can watch Bring Me The News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard's latest forecast for today's storm below: