Warm front sets the stage for stormy period

Be prepared for very unsettled weather during the next 24 hours.

Already today, rainfall has exceeded over an inch in portions of southwest Minnesota and periods of strong storms and heavy rains are likely to continue across much of the state. Redwood Falls tallied 1.15 inches.

Strong winds followed in the wake of the first wave of storms.  Here's a statement from the National Weather Office from Chanhassen issued this morning.

INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MONTICELLO...MINNEAPOLIS...BLAINE... ST. PAUL...SHAKOPEE...LE SUEUR 1053 AM CDT SAT JUN 14 2014 ...A PERIOD OF STRONG WINDS THIS MORNING... SEVERAL REPORTS OF GUSTS BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH HAVE BEEN RECORDED THIS MORNING ACROSS WESTERN AND CENTRAL MINNESOTA AS THE SHOWERS TAPER OFF. THESE WINDS ARE LIKELY TO CONTINUE ACCOMPANYING THE BACKSIDE OF THE SHOWERS FOR THE NEXT COUPLE HOURS AND IMPACT PORTIONS OF THE TWIN CITIES METRO THROUGH 1230 PM.

Storm report from the National Weather Service in Chanhassen documented the severity of the winds. At 10:45 a.m., non-thunderstorm winds caused numerous boats to capsize on Lake Minnetonka with people in the water.

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Minnesota, particularly the southern two thirds of the state, is likely to be clobbered with bouts of heavy rain through noon on Sunday.

Here's a forecast of where the bullseye of heavy rain is predicted overnight from the the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's North American Model, ending at 7 a.m. Sunday.

Severe thunderstorms with the potential for tornadoes are most likely in the warm and humid sector of the air mass.

Read the details on the severe weather threat from the Storm Prediction Center.