Storm chances to monitor the next few days

There will be a few storm chances to keep an eye on in the coming days across southeastern Minnesota and northern Iowa.

The first chance of storms comes later tonight. A weak ripple in the jet stream is making its way around the ridge of high pressure stationed over us now. This weak ripple may be enough to kick off a stray t-storm or two later tonight, but this chance is very slim. Any storms that manage to develop tonight will make their way out of the area by morning.

Our next storm chance arrives Monday. A trough of low pressure will be approaching from the west during the day on Monday. A cold front ahead of this trough will track across Minnesota late Monday afternoon into the overnight hours. Storms are expected to fire across the Dakota’s by Monday evening, but it is currently unclear how far east and south these storms will track into Minnesota and northern Iowa.

The Storm Prediction Center has our Minnesota counties in a slight risk (level 2 out of 5) of severe weather Monday, with large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes possible with any storms that do form. There is a chance our viewing area stays completely dry, with storms missing us well to the north. Again, there is a lot of uncertainty at this time, so it will be important to stay tuned for the latest information as we get closer to this event.

Storm chances may continue into Tuesday depending how quickly the cold front exits the viewing area. The next best chance for more widespread storms arrives Thursday. Another trough of low pressure is expected to track across the Upper Midwest Wednesday into Thursday. Given the warm, tropical air ahead of the trough, and the colder Canadian air behind it, widespread storms are good bet Thursday afternoon into the overnight hours at this time.