We are transitioning from a nearly perfect "Goldilocks" spring to more of a Jekyll and Hyde one. Soft, buttery sunshine and chirping birds one day. The next day: window-buckling winds, supersize hail and wailing sirens.
Tuesday will be the latter. Atmospheric dynamics are suitable for a widespread outbreak of severe thunderstorms, for the first time all spring. An unstable atmosphere, low-level moisture and strong wind shear (changing wind direction and speed with altitude), meaning garden-variety thunderstorms can mutate into spinning "supercells" capable of big hail and even a few tornadoes.
Stay alert Tuesday. The best chance of twisters will come south and east of the Twin Cities, but it promises to be an active, potentially violent day for some towns.
Two to 4 inches of rain will soak much of central and northern Minnesota and winds will gust over 50 mph Tuesday night into early Wednesday. Rain tapers early Wednesday with 40 mph winds Wednesday evening outside Target Center. Wolves fans should be fine, but a few Mavericks may become airborne.
![Team Greece's boat parades along the Seine river in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/GFUTTQG65BGEJF76IYABYF27V4.jpg?h=91&w=145&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Paris dazzles with a rainy Olympics opening ceremony on the Seine River
Rain, rain and more rain couldn't drown out the cheers at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony
![Twin Cities meteorologist Paul Douglas is retiring from WCCO after seven years on the radio. He started working for Minnesota news stations in 1983 an](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/KIG3GIEQLRFUBKF6ABXPYJT2ZM.jpg?h=91&w=145&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)