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Flooding rains and severe thunderstorms likely in southern Minnesota

Posted at 1:14 PM on May 5, 2012 by Craig Edwards (2 Comments)
Filed under: Flooding, Severe weather, Storms, Thunderstorms

Conditions have come together for bouts of showers and thunderstorms for the next 24 to 36 hours over Minnesota. The most intense storms are likely in the southern half of the state. A Flash Flood Watch has been issued for an area of central and southern Minnesota.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL...CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING.

* FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MINNESOTA...EAST
CENTRAL MINNESOTA...SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA...SOUTHWEST
MINNESOTA AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING
AREAS...IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA...KANDIYOHI...MCLEOD...MEEKER...
RENVILLE...SIBLEY...STEARNS AND WRIGHT. IN EAST CENTRAL
MINNESOTA...CARVER AND SCOTT. IN SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
BLUE EARTH...BROWN...FARIBAULT...FREEBORN...LE SUEUR...
MARTIN...NICOLLET...RICE...STEELE...WASECA AND WATONWAN. IN
SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...REDWOOD. IN WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
CHIPPEWA...LAC QUI PARLE...POPE...STEVENS...SWIFT AND YELLOW
MEDICINE.

Heavy rains have already drenched this area.

The NOAA Prediction Center has its eyes on Minnesota and South Dakota for very heavy rainfall totals, exceeding more than three inches.

exccessiveraingall.gif

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has also been posted by the Storm Prediction Center until 7 p.m.

tstmtach.gif

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH-CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST IOWA SOUTH-CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA EFFECTIVE THIS SATURDAY MORNING AND EVENING FROM 1140 AM UNTIL 700 PM CDT. HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS. THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 55 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 40 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF REDWOOD FALLS MINNESOTA TO 60 MILES EAST OF ROCHESTER MINNESOTA. FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU8). REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES.

At 1:05 p.m. the National Weather Service received a report of one inch diameter hail 3 miles east southeast of New Ulm.

Track severe storms and flooding rains from the NWS in Chanhassen.

--Craig Edwards

Comments (2)

Are they actually serious about the flood watch? How rapidly is the info changing? Just frustrating to listen to the tv for one forecast which turns out to be the opposite. National weather service issues one watch area then five minutes later they cancel it. What is going on that is confusing everyone?

Posted by corina | May 5, 2012 3:41 PM

Convective clusters of storms create boundaries where new thunderstorms like to form. The boundaries show up fairly well on satellite but the models have a hard time picking them up.

The previously issued Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been canceled. New thunderstorms are developing north of the metro. More intense thunderstorms are likely to form in eastern South Dakota this evening.

Heavy rain still looks like a good possibility in the southern half of the state.

Posted by Craig | May 5, 2012 5:57 PM

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