Forecast First warning: Strong storms, heavy rain possible Tuesday afternoon and evening

Here is your forecast for Tuesday afternoon, June 4, 2024, from the Minnesota Weather Service and meteorologist Matt Serwe.

The first weather warning is in place for Tuesday afternoon and evening due to potentially severe storms and renewed heavy rain.

A thunderstorm warning is in effect for parts of central and northern Minnesota until 8 p.m. Tuesday. The Twin Cities metropolitan area is currently unaffected.

There is a narrow line of storms from Willmar to Bemidji early Tuesday afternoon. This will slowly move east over the next few hours. Any storm in this line could bring strong winds, large hail, and an isolated tornado. Further east, closer to Rochester and the Mississippi River, a few storms are developing. These too could bring hail and strong winds later in the afternoon. In the Twin Cities metropolitan area, the window for storms is about 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. At some point in this window, heavy rain will fall for about 60 to 90 minutes, accompanied by gusty winds. Due to all the recent rain, this could quickly turn into flash flooding. Be prepared for a longer evening commute, and never drive on flooded roads.

Light rain could trail behind the storms until about 10 p.m. Once the rain moves out, gusty west to northwest winds will move in for a couple of days. Gusts could reach 40 mph at times on Wednesday and Thursday. A few isolated thunderstorms are possible on Wednesday, and there’s even less chance of light showers on Thursday. After that, we’ll have a couple of days to dry out and enjoy temperatures between 70 and 75 degrees.