Severe thunderstorms possible as much needed rainfall arrives – Chris

Happy Weekend! It’s already a cloudy and damp start to Saturday with a few strong thunderstorms already moving through for some. Clouds will remain in place today as rain chances increase towards the afternoon and evening.

If you’re making outdoor plans late morning into the early afternoon, you should generally be okay to get those in. More widespread showers and storms, along with the chance of severe weather, will increase from west to east after about 3PM.

As of now there is a SLIGHT RISK (Level 2 out of 5) for severe weather southwest of the metro, and a MARGINAL RISK (Level 1 out of 5) for the metro and northeast. The main concerns are high winds and hail along with heavy downpours. Across southwest Minnesota, there is a better chance of a few tornadoes as well. Eventually, the severe risk wanes to just rain into the overnight hours.

Sunday will also feature several dry hours, and more storms are on tap to develop into the afternoon and evening.

When all is said and done, much of Minnesota has the chance to see upwards of an inch of rain, if not more in some places. This is the best chance for widespread rainfall we’ve had in a long time.

Enjoy the weekend!
– Meteorologist Chris Reece