Severe storm chances ramp up Wednesday

Not only will Wednesday be a toasty and muggy one out there, but there will be a growing chance for storms as we head through the late afternoon and evening hours.

Odds are we will start tomorrow dry across much of the viewing area if all goes according to the current plan. Can’t rule out some pop up storm mischief as a result of overnight storm activity, but either way, plenty of dry time and sun tomorrow.

All of this sunshine, heat, and humidity that will be around makes perfect fuel for storm development heading into the afternoon and evening.

An upper level dip in the jet stream is expected to swing across Minnesota starting tomorrow evening. This jet may provide ample forcing for the development of a larger storm complex somewhere across Minnesota or Iowa heading into the late afternoon hours.

As said before, plenty of energy will be available for these storms to thrive as they track across Minnesota and/or Iowa. With all the energy available, some of these storms may very well become severe. There is a slight risk (level 2 out of 5) for storms to produce large hail, damaging winds, and perhaps even a tornado or two tomorrow and into tomorrow night.

There are no guarantees on when showers and storms take place across our area nor where. This activity will be heavily dependent on where prior storm complexes track, where the greatest temperature and moisture gradient sets up etc. Odds favor late afternoon, evening and overnight activity, however.

The bottom line is that the best storm chances will be late tomorrow afternoon, evening and into the overnight hours. Some of these storms may be severe, so being weather aware will be important as we head through the day tomorrow.