Flash flood watch until 7 p.m.; periods of rain and thunderstorms

Severe weather also possible

Wind storms
Tracey Franco of St. Paul crosses University Avenue under the shelter of her umbrella in St. Paul.
AP Photo | Pioneer Press, Ben Garvin 2010

Periods of rain will continue Thursday and Thursday evening, with heavy rain and flash flooding possible.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's North American Mesoscale forecast model shows the potential rain pattern Thursday and Thursday evening:

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Simulated radar Thursday morning through Thursday evening.
NOAA, via Tropicaltidbits.com

It’ll rain in some areas that look dry in the loop, but the loop illustrates the general rain pattern. As always, updated weather information can be heard on the MPR Network, and you’ll also see updated weather info on the MPR News live weather blog.

Rain will be heavy at times, and many areas have already seen significant rain totals this week.

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A flash flood watch continues until 7 p.m. in the dark-green-shaded areas (which includes the Twin Cities metro area) of the following map:

rt912wch
Flash flood watch Thursday
National Weather Service

The areas shaded in light green had flood warnings Thursday morning.

A few severe thunderstorms are also possible, especially Thursday afternoon and evening.

The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center shows a slight risk of severe weather Thursday and Thursday night for parts of southern Minnesota, with a marginal risk of severe weather extending through portions of southern and central Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

The NWS Twin Cities office posted these details of the Thursday/Thursday night severe weather outlook:

rt912svr
Severe weather outlook Thursday and Thursday night
National Weather Service

Slight risk means that scattered severe thunderstorms are possible, while marginal risk means that an isolated severe thunderstorm is possible.

Stay weather aware Thursday and make sure that you have a way to receive weather warnings.

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates on Minnesota Public Radio at 7:49 a.m. Thursdays and Fridays, and at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:35 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.