Here’s a summary of what’s going on/happened-

5:45pm: Tornado warnings are being issued again. Stick with us at KTTC.com and on-air.

- Tornadoes were on the ground this afternoon around Hayfield. Right now, we have pictures here.
- Flash Flood Warnings for Olmsted, Mower, Dodge counties until 9 pm.
- Tornado Watch for Dodge, Mower, Steele, Olmsted, Wabasha, Winona, Fillmore, and Houston counties in Minnesota; Buffalo and Tremealeau in Wisconsin until 10pm.
- Severe Thunderstorm Watch for most of our other counties until 10 pm.

Posted under severe weather

6:35 p.m. update: Tornado watch canceled in southeast Minnesota and northeast Iowa…remains in effect for western Wisconsin.

5:52 p.m. update: Tornado warning  for Allamakee county canceled.

5:15 p.m. update: Tornado warning for Allamakee county now until 6:15pm. From the NWS: “This storm produced a tornado near West Union and continues to show the potential for another tornado.

5pm update: Tornado warnings for Allamakee and Winona Counties until 5:15pm and 5:30pm for Fayette County. Also, new tornado watch – NOT including the Rochester – Austin – Albert Lea area – but for extreme southeast Minnesota and extreme northeast Iowa into southwest Wisconsin until midnight.

This is not a supercell situation – these storms can spin up tornadoes simply because there is so much shear, or spin in the atmosphere. However, a tornado is a tornado and it’s still a dangerous situation, so if you are in a tornado warning, seek shelter!

Tornado warnings in effect until 4:15 pm for Fayette County and until 4:45 pm for Winneshiek County. We have no reports of any immediate touchdowns with these two cells, except for a report of a barn being damaged near Fredericksburg with a possible tornado touchdown.

As of right now elsewhere, there is just heavy rain and lightning with a line of storms moving through southern Minnesota.

There is a lot more action going on to our north – with reports of tornadoes touching down in the Twin Cities metro area. You can find more on that on our KTTC homepage.

Posted under Uncategorized

The Live Blog is now closed…stay warm.  Wind Chill Advisories and Warnings in effect Sunday night-Monday morning.  Blizzard Warnings and Winter Storm Warnings have been cancelled/expired. 

9:30 p.m. update: Winter Storm Warning has been dropped for Goodhue and Rice counties, and has been replaced with a Winter Weather Advisory until Sunday evening. 

8:30 p.m. update: Snow has tapered off, but visibilities are low in many areas due to blowing snow, drifting snow, and near white-out conditions. Wind chills have plummeted into the -20 to -30 range. Look for some flurry chances during the overnight hours. Snow totals seem to be in the 3 – 6″ range in SE Minn….I’m working on getting some fresh totals! Watch tonight at 10pm…we’ll have the latest! Thanks to everyone who’s stopped by our LIVE blog!

1:45 p.m. update: Winds have yet to pick up in Rochester, but already are gusting to 25+mph around Albert Lea and points south and west. Visibilities are dropping to 1/4 mile or less in those areas. This is all continuing to head east this afternoon. While it feels like nothing right now for the rest of us, don’t be caught off guard in the next hour to two or so!! Even if there’s not a blizzard warning issued for the rest of the area, winds will gust to 30+mph at times, visibilities will be reduced, snow will blow and drift, and wind chills will be bitterly cold…even when the snow comes to an end!

On that topic, our newsroom is reporting that MnDOT is advising no travel. The entire state of Minnesota is being affected by this storm, and a good chunk of Iowa, the eastern Dakotas, and will affect Wisconsin…you can find road conditions on our “Severe Weather” page on this blog.

Earlier updates: 

Blizzard Warnings and Winter Storm warnings are posted for the area and run from about Noon Saturday well into Sunday. Click the links below to find out more information…the Blizzard Warning for Emmet, Kossuth, Winnebago, Worth, Cerro Gordo, Wright, Franklin, and Hancock counties is from 6pm Saturday to 3pm Sunday…a Winter Weather Advisory is in effect FIRST before the Blizzard Warning for those counties. Everyone else in the viewing area is under a Winter Storm Warning. More to come…

NWS La Crosse Homepage 

NWS Des Moines Homepage

NWS Twin Cities Homepage

Posted under KTTC, weather, winter weather

What a mess across the Upper Midwest. As you can see (click left) there’s a mass of Warnings and Advisories with this latest winter storm. For many, it will be the first punch of the winter season. As Randy posted some handy links yesterday, you can find more local information from Duluth, Twin Cities, and Grand Forks on the storm, and what’s expected in their areas. No joke – travel will be near impossible on Sunday into Monday for points north and west.

We’re getting the warm side of this system. Look for rain showers mixing with snow, maybe some freezing rain, sleet, and highs in the 30s again tomorrow. Temps will drop as a strong cold front barrels through tomorrow evening. Precip will switch over to all snow by then, but we’re not looking for much. A dusting, inch at most. Very cold – dangerous wind chills even – into Monday as northwest winds will howl.

Posted under KTTC, Travel, weather, winter weather

I was digging around on YouTube to see if I could find any good footage from the bow echo that roared through Chicago on Monday evening. CNN had plenty of good pictures and video from eyewitnesses too.  It was a doozy of a storm and sparked tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings for that area. There were reports of tornadoes on the ground northwest of downtown Chicago, and numerous reports of damaging, destructive winds and large hail (see graphic below).

What I actually came across most was footage from people who had been at the Cubs baseball game – ongoing when the storm came through. This could have been disaster had there actually been a tornado that struck the stadium with that many people there. Not only that, but for people that chose to stand outside during it, we could have been talking tonight about fatalities from lightning strikes or being struck by debris. Even by seeking shelter inside the stadium, between those concrete walls, you’re still running the risk of a major catastrophe. It was nearly a worst nightmare come true, and it begs the question – what do you do with thousands upon thousands of people when such a severe storm comes through? Luckily…no one was hurt.

On a lighter note, get ready for comfy days and cool nights ahead. No stormy weather in sight, with the exception on an isolated thunderstorm tomorrow afternoon.

Posted under KTTC, Natural Disaster, severe weather, weather