Name: Video: Welcome to Miami: Tropical downpours, landspouts?
Description: Tropical-style thunderstorms have dumped heavy rainfall in some areas.

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Our current weather pattern mimics tropical climates with steamy tropical air masses and weak steering currents. Bright sunny mornings give way to puffy towering afternoon cumulus clouds. Tropical dew points in the 70s provide fuel for blossoming localized thundershowers. Weak winds and steering currents allow storms to drift aimlessly dumping locally heavy rain underneath. 

Radars lit up with localized downpours blooming along a weak frontal boundary Thursday afternoon from parts of the Twin Cities westward to the South Dakota border.

Our steamy rising air mass can trigger landspouts. Landspouts are similar to waterspouts in tropical areas like the Florida Keys. 

The Twin Cities NWS office sent out a rare and interesting special weather statement on the potential for funnels and landspouts Thursday. Note the rare narrow line of counties highlighted along the frontal boundary zone.

This photogenic funnel cloud was captured between New Ulm and Willmar Thursday afternoon. 

Here’s another funnel captured Thursday afternoon. 

We’re trending dry across much of southern Minnesota on a line from the Twin Cities southward. Thursday’s updated U.S. Drought Monitor cuts off data Tuesday morning, so it won’t include the multi-inch rainfall observed across southern Minnesota Tuesday evening. 

Thursday’s localized downpours produced more than an inch of beneficial rainfall in some areas. If you were lucky enough to get under one, you won the rainfall bingo lottery. 

Expect our warm humid days to continue through the upcoming weekend. Isolated thunder cells may fire again Friday afternoon. Here’s a quick look at the Twin Cities area forecast through the weekend.

Sunday brings a chance for storms and possible severe weather to most of Minnesota.

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Paul Huttner

Author

Tropical-style thunderstorms have dumped heavy rainfall in some areas. 

Welcome to Miami: Tropical downpours, landspouts?

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