Heavy showers and thunderstorms are possible Thursday afternoon into Thursday evening as a cold front moves across the state. The main threats are large hail, damaging winds and a chance of tornadoes.

The Storm Prediction Center has issued a slight risk of severe (2/5) for the eastern half of Minnesota. The current scenario suggests that scattered thunderstorms will develop by mid to late afternoon across central/eastern Minnesota into northern/central Iowa along or just ahead of the cold front.

The storms are expected to start as isolated cells, but will quickly develop into a strong line of thunderstorms. These lines could bring stronger winds as they move through.

Moisture continues to move north, fueling thunderstorms. Dew points are expected to rise into the upper 60s and lower 70s through Thursday night.

Storms are expected to reach the Twin Cities area sometime between 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM

We will continue to monitor the threat of severe weather into the late afternoon and evening hours. For up-to-date storm information, visit our Updraft blog.