(KNSI) – The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for parts of central and east-central Minnesota, including Benton and Sherburne counties, until 9:00 p.m. Wednesday.
Stearns County is not included in the watch. Because St. Cloud stretches across all three counties, the east side of the city falls inside the watch area while the west side does not.
A tornado watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes to develop. A tornado warning means a tornado has been spotted or detected on radar, and people in the warned area should take shelter immediately.
The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, issued Tornado Watch shortly before 4:00 p.m. It covers 21 Minnesota counties: Anoka, Benton, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Goodhue, Hennepin, Isanti, Kanabec, Le Sueur, McLeod, Mille Lacs, Nicollet, Pine, Ramsey, Rice, Scott, Sherburne, Sibley, Washington and Wright.
Residents in the watch area are encouraged to have a way to receive weather alerts and to know where they would go for shelter. The safest place is a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor, away from windows.
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