Light rain fell across the Twin Cities Saturday morning, with a possibility of another round of thunderstorms arriving in the evening.
The chance of more storms like those that rushed through central Minnesota Friday night depends on whether the overcast sky clears in the afternoon, said Eric Ahasic, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service office in Chanhassen. If it does, temperatures could rise and spark thunderstorms.
"We have a lot of moisture now; we just don't have any heating," Ahasic said.
Just over an inch of rain was recorded at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Friday, with more coming down on Minneapolis, according to the Weather Service. Mille Lacs and Kanabec counties, which had rain for a longer part of the day, saw 4 to 6 inches. The evening storms over St. Cloud brought up to 4 inches of rain.
More thunderstorms are expected to come down in western and northwestern Minnesota on Saturday evening, Ahasic said.
As severe thunderstorm warnings tapered off Friday night, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning extending into the overnight hours that included St. Cloud, Sartell, Rice and Avon. Street flooding was reported in some parts of St. Cloud, with water deep enough to stall vehicles stuck in it.
Earlier Friday evening, ominous clouds and tornado sirens prompted motorists in Litchfield to take cover inside the local Walmart just after 6 p.m. About 30 people hunkered down inside the store as high winds sent shopping carts flying outside, said Assistant Manager Kim Johnson.
"We had a lot of little ones that were pretty scared and crying," Johnson said. "It's just like midnight out there. It's so black out."
