Storms sweep across west-central Minnesota; severe weather in metro today
Heavy rain, hail and high winds swept across west-central Minnesota, with a line of storms prompting tornado warnings in Pope, Swift, Douglas and parts of Stearns and Meeker counties. More than 3 inches of rain flooded roads and fields in the Hutchinson and Litchfield areas.
The National Weather Service posted on Twitter that a trained spotter reported a funnel cloud west of Brooten around 7:35 p.m. A storm chaser also reported a tornado near Sedan around that time. An hour later, a trained spotter reported via Twitter a tornado west of Kimball in Stearns County, with some roof damage from a downed tree, along with some sheet metal debris.
The most severe part of the storm track passed slightly to the north-northwest of the Twin Cities metro, where rain began falling around 9 p.m.
Twin Cities forecast calls for turbulence
You might want to make the most of your Sunday morning, because weather conditions are likely to deteriorate throughout the day, with hail and possible tornadoes in the forecast.
Severe thunderstorms are expected across parts of east-central and southeast Minnesota, including the Twin Cities area, by Sunday afternoon and into the evening, according to the NWS's Storm Prediction Center. Sunday's storm front was to arrive in the metro area by midday with a risk of large hail and wind gusts up to 30 miles per hour. With an expected high temperature of 78 degrees in the Twin Cities, that combination may create wind shears, whose spinning action can spawn tornadoes, forecasters said.
The chance of rain was 80 percent throughout the day, with heavy rain possible. Cooler weather will start the week with a high Monday near 50 with gusty winds.
Kim Ode
Group plans Nepal fundraiser in St. Paul
A celebration of music, food, art and photography Sunday in St. Paul will help raise funds for victims of recent earthquakes in Nepal. The Association of Nepalis in Minnesota (ANMN) is planning "7.8 Rubbles," named after a 7.8-magnitude quake that struck the south Asian country April 25, leaving more than 8,000 dead and nearly 20,000 injured. The disaster flattened entire villages and triggered a deadly avalanche on Mount Everest. It was followed by a 7.3-magnitude quake last week that killed or injured thousands more.
