For the third time this week, severe weather may hammer parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The first round came Monday afternoon, knocking out power to more than 100,000 utility customers across Minnesota. The storm’s fury even forced people attending the Minnesota State Fair to seek shelter. The next round came early Tuesday morning as the Twin Cities recorded wind gusts as high as 64 mph.
Tens of thousands of festivalgoers are still expected Thursday at “The Great Minnesota Get-Together,” the largest state fair in the U.S. by average daily attendance, and they could likely get pummeled – again – after severe storms wreaked havoc near St. Paul earlier this week.
Thursday’s severe thunderstorms are expected across the upper and middle Mississippi Valley to the central Plains. A few severe storms also will be possible over portions of the mid-Atlantic region.
The severe storm potential will likely set up across Minnesota, with the Twin Cities right in the crosshairs. NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has issued a Level 2 out of 5 threat for severe weather here.
(FOX Weather)
The latest severe weather will come courtesy of a strong cold front which will slice through the eastern half of the country through the Labor Day holiday weekend, the FOX Forecast Center said.
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(FOX Weather)
More than 6 million people in major Minnesota cities such as Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester, Bloomington, and Plymouth should stay weather-aware Thursday.
Damaging wind and hail are the main threats as a line of storms fires up along the front during the afternoon, but a spin-up of a tornado or two cannot be ruled out, the FOX Forecast Center said.