Funnels and showers now; sunnier days ahead
A few mini-twisters danced across southern Minnesota skies today.
Some call these "cold air funnels." These unusual funnels form on days like today when there is enough spin in the lower levels of the atmosphere. These non-supercell funnels rarely touch down, but today at least one reached ground level and did some damage.
Here's the local storm report from the Twin Cities NWS.
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2 WNW Ceylon [Martin Co, MN] LAW ENFORCEMENT reports TORNADO at 12:55 PM CDT -- VIDEO ON TWITTER. TALKED TO SHERIFF'S DEPUTY WHO WITNESSED TORNADO. TOUCHDOWN BETWEEN SUSAN LAKE AND FISH LAKE. TORNADO ESTIMATED TO BE 20 TO 40 FEET WIDE. TREES DOWN. TREES ESTIMATED TO BE 15 TO 20 FEET IN HEIGHT. TORNADO ESTIMATED TO BE ON THE GROUND FOR 11 MINUTES.
Here's more on these non-supercell funnels from the Twin Cities NWS.
Iowa Tornadoes
Further south, serious supercell-driven tornadoes touched down in Iowa.
Locally heavy rainfall
Some heavier rain cells dumped over 2-inches of rain west of the Twin Cities near Willmar and Hutchinson.
Showers fade Friday
The low-pressure system causing our rains crawls slowly east Friday. A few showers linger behind the low. High pressure builds in again for the weekend and sunnier skies.
Million-dollar weekend
Sunshine and highs in the low 80s make for a beautiful weekend. I'm already starting to count and savor the number of nice weekends as summer rolls on.
Get out there and enjoy the weekend!