Prompts winter weather advisories as cold air moves in Friday night

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Minnesota is in the risk zone for severe weather on Wednesday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s

 paints a big yellow zone across most of Minnesota Wednesday. That’s a slight risk (category 2 of 5) for severe weather. You can see the severe risk zone in the image at the top of this post.

Forecast models show an unstable air mass across Minnesota Wednesday. Models show widely varying solutions Wednesday, but multiple rounds of storms are possible. 

NOAA’s High-Resolution Rapid Refresh model shows the trend toward multiple storm clusters drifting generally southeastward on Wednesday:

The atmospheric profile Wednesday favors sustained updrafts capable of growing large hailstones. 

There’s a 15 to 30 percent chance for severe (1 inch or greater diameter) hail across most of Minnesota on Wednesday. There is a 10 percent chance for hailstones up to 2 inches in diameter or larger in the hatched area below! 

It’s a similar picture for damaging winds above 58 mph around most of Minnesota with stronger storms Wednesday.

These days are often hour to hour in terms of forecasting specific storm coverage and severity. 

The best advice is to stay aware on Wednesday, expect severe weather watches and warnings, and have a plan to be in a safe shelter if needed. 

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Paul Huttner

Author

Severe storms with large hail are likely across much of Minnesota Wednesday.

Severe risk Wednesday: Scattered storms with large hail and high winds possible

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