A significant severe weather event is expected to unfold across portions of the Midwest and Upper Midwest on Monday, putting cities like Minneapolis and Des Moines, Iowa, on alert. FOX Weather Meteorologist Ari Sarsalari breaks down the latest forecast on Sunday, April 27, 2025.
MINNEAPOLIS – A significant severe weather outbreak is expected to unfold across portions of the Upper Midwest on Monday, with forecasters warning that conditions will be favorable for the development of very large hail, damaging wind gusts and strong tornadoes.
Millions of people in cities like Minneapolis and Des Moines, Iowa, are being urged to prepare for the potentially life-threatening severe weather outbreak, which is expected to begin Monday afternoon and continue well into Monday night.
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“There are a lot less question marks when it comes to what is likely going to happen (Monday) in parts of the Upper Midwest,” FOX Weather Meteorologist Ari Sarsalari said. “We are likely to see a severe weather outbreak. We could have a tornado outbreak, including some long-track, violent tornadoes. Again, this is not terminology that I throw around very loosely.”
The FOX Forecast Center said the strong storm system will move quickly through the region, fueled by a powerful jet stream overhead and a strengthening surface low-pressure system moving from the northern Plains into the Great Lakes region.
Warm, moist air will surge northward ahead of the system, setting the stage for a very unstable atmosphere by midday, especially across portions of Iowa, Minnesota and western Wisconsin.
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In total, more than 45 million people from the U.S.–Mexico border in Texas to the U.S.-Canada border in the Upper Midwest will be at risk of severe weather on Monday.
However, the threat is significantly higher on the northern end of that risk zone, where more than 7 million people have been placed in a Level 4 out of 5 risk on NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center’s severe thunderstorm risk scale.
This heightened risk zone includes cities like Minneapolis, St. Paul and Rochester in Minnesota, Des Moines and Cedar Rapids in Iowa and Eau Claire and La Crosse in Wisconsin.
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Forecasters say all severe weather threats are possible with the thunderstorms that develop on Monday.
This includes the threat of very large hail over 2 inches and destructive wind gusts. Strong tornadoes (EF-2 or higher) are also possible, especially across portions of Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin.