Severe storms likely Monday in Minnesota, western Wisconsin

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Strong to severe storms are likely Monday in much of Minnesota and western Wisconsin. 

The National Weather Service issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for the area, including the Twin Cities metro, until 3 p.m. 

A warm and muggy day with temperatures in the 80s and dew points in the sticky upper 60s will lay the groundwork for strong to severe thunderstorms to continue to be a threat as a cold front moves northwest to southeast through the day.

The greatest threat is located south of a line from Ladysmith, Wisconsin to the Twin Cities metro and Redwood Falls, Minnesota. The primary threat is damaging winds. Large hail, heavy rainfall and a couple of tornadoes are also possible. 

Timing for severe storms

  • Now—1 p.m. for northern Minnesota
  • 10:30 a.m.—4 p.m. for the Twin Cities metro (if the morning storms currently north of the Twin Cities fade before they get to the metro, then we would likely wait until after 1 p.m. in the Twin Cities) 
  • 2 p.m.—7 p.m. for southern Minnesota 

Threats

Key threats: 

  • Damaging wind gusts (60+ mph)

Secondary threats:

  • Large hail (1-inch or greater)
  • Isolated tornadoes
  • Torrential downpours