(KNSI) – Central Minnesota could be in line for some rough weather later Wednesday.
The National Weather Service says the St. Cloud area is in the slight, or two out of five, risk for significant severe storms today. This is due to the warm temperatures, which will climb into the low 90s and the high dewpoints in the mid 70s. That will give the area a heat index or “feels like factor” approaching the upper 90s and even may push into triple digit territory in some spots. THose ingredients should be enough to destabilize the environment. The fly in the ointment here is that there is a bit of uncertainty regarding timing and exact location.
Should the likely scenario come to fruition, wind gusts over 70 miles an hour, and large hail would be possible. There are some ifs, ands and buts here because of uncertainty in the atmospheric setup in the Dakotas. The highest confidence for damaging winds is to the southwest from Montevideo to Redwood Falls through Mankato and Albert Lea. The greatest risk of large hail is from St. Cloud to Willmar, through Montevideo, to the North and South Dakota border, and up toward Pelican Rapids and Brainerd. That risk will diminish as the storms form a line and move east.
For right now, the timing for initiation looks to be around 3:00 p.m. and the storms should be finished by midnight.
Have a way to get watches and warnings later today. While severe storms are a big focus today, forecasters say to also practice heat safety.
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