Scattered t-storms Saturday evening, some could be severe

Scattered thunderstorms remain in the forecast this Saturday evening, and some of the thunderstorms could be severe.

A tornado watch continues until 7 p.m. in portions of west-central and northwestern Minnesota:

A severe thunderstorm watch continues until 10 p.m. this Saturday in 7 counties of southern Minnesota:

Here are details of the severe thunderstorm watch:

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED Severe Thunderstorm Watch Number 148 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 400 PM CDT Sat Apr 23 2022 The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a * Severe Thunderstorm Watch for portions of Iowa Northeast Kansas Southern Minnesota Northwest Missouri Far Southeast Nebraska * Effective this Saturday afternoon and evening from 400 PM until 1000 PM CDT. * Primary threats include... Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible Scattered large hail events to 1.5 inches in diameter possible A tornado or two possible SUMMARY...Bands of storms are expected to further develop and intensify and move northeastward across the region through late afternoon and evening. Bouts of severe hail and damaging winds are expected to be the primary hazards. The severe thunderstorm watch area is approximately along and 55 statute miles east and west of a line from 40 miles south of Falls City NE to 40 miles west northwest of Rochester MN. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU8). PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... 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. && OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 147... AVIATION...A few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to 1.5 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 60 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 450. Mean storm motion vector 22040.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

7:50 PM update

The National Weather Service has expanded the Severe Thunderstorm Watch to include parts of the east metro until 10 p.m. this Saturday evening:

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

In addition to the watches, the NWS Storm Prediction Center includes much of Minnesota (including the western portion of the Twin Cities metro area) in a slight risk (shaded yellow) of severe weather Saturday evening and overnight:

Slight risk means that scattered severe thunderstorms are possible:

Isolated severe weather is possible in the dark-green shaded area on the SPC outlook, which includes the east metro and portions of southeastern and northern Minnesota plus western Wisconsin.

The Storm Prediction Center will update the severe weather outlook as needed this evening.

You can hear updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the Minnesota Public Radio News network, and you can see updated weather info on the MPR News live weather blog.

Cooler Sunday

Through 5 p.m., the Saturday high temp at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was 73 degrees. That was our first official Twin Cities temp in the 70s since October 19.

Much cooler temps are on tap for Sunday, with highs in the 40s in much of Minnesota, and 50s from the Twin Cities into southeastern Minnesota and west-central Wisconsin:

The northern half of Minnesota will have the best chance of showers on Sunday, and some flakes could be mixed with the rain in far northwestern Minnesota.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s High-Resolution Rapid-Refresh (HRRR) model shows the potential precipitation pattern from 5 a.m. Sunday to 11 p.m. Sunday:

Temperature trends

Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to be in the lower 40s Monday, followed by mid 40s Tuesday, upper 40s Wednesday, mid 50s Thursday and upper 50s on Friday. Our best shower chances will be Wednesday night and Thursday, then late on Friday.

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates on MPR News at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:39 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.