Severe Thunderstorms Sweep Through Twin Cities, Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota – Severe thunderstorms hit Minnesota and the Twin Cities early Saturday morning, causing power outages and prompting weather alerts across the region.

The National Weather Service extended a severe thunderstorm watch set to expire at 4 a.m. through 6 a.m. and broadened its coverage to include areas further east into Wisconsin. These storms could produce damaging winds, hail, and heavy rain, raising concerns of localized flooding.

According to reports from FOX 9, the storms began unleashing heavy rainfall and lightning on the Twin Cities metro around 3 a.m. Although no active severe thunderstorm warnings were reported for the area, a watch remains in effect. Rainfall amounts could reach 2 to 4 inches per hour, with some areas already reporting over 2 inches of rain.

Specifically, the counties of Sherburne and Wright faced severe thunderstorm warnings early Saturday, where heavy rain led to ponding on the roads. Despite the severe weather, flash flood warnings were not immediately issued.

Heavy rain, with rates of approximately 2 inches in just 30 minutes, raised red flags for potential flash flooding. Storms were expected to continue to impact the Twin Cities through the early morning.

Though a severe thunderstorm watch was issued through 4 a.m., forecasters indicated the possibility for extending this alert due to the ongoing storm activity. Saturday is predicted to follow with warm temperatures in the mid-80s and gradually clearing skies.

This line of storms follows a cold front that moved through Friday night, resulting in a level 2 severe storm risk across Minnesota, with southeastern areas under a marginal level 1 risk. The primary threats include wind gusts exceeding 60 mph and potential hail sizes between 1 and 2 inches, along with an outside chance of isolated tornados.

As the storms tracked southeast, they were anticipated to reach the Twin Cities by early Saturday morning before exiting the area. Minnesota residents are advised to stay alert and have their GPS devices and notifications active in case of weather warnings.