MINNEAPOLIS — Storms with lightning and hail and at least one observed tornado were moving through the upper Midwest on Monday with the potential for strong tornadoes.
The National Weather Service said the highest risks — a 4 on a scale of 1 to 5 — were in portions of southern Minnesota, including the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, northern Iowa and western Wisconsin. Forecasters had expected two rounds of severe weather, with the possibility of tornadoes in the EF-2 range or greater.
Millions of Americans are on alert for severe weather as tornadoes, large hail and thunderstorms are moving across the country.
Parts of Wisconsin saw hail as storms moved across the area. https://t.co/7DVRNDWREB pic.twitter.com/hDBTSqt8HS
— ABC News (@ABC) April 28, 2025
“The most dangerous period is likely during the late afternoon and evening when strong tornado potential should be maximized. Scattered large to very large hail and damaging winds are likely as well,” meteorologists at the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, wrote.
Depending on how the storms form, tornadoes in the EF-2 range or greater are possible, the weather service office for the Minneapolis area said. The National Weather Service in the Twin Cities said Monday afternoon that they had a report of an observed tornado looking west from Fairmont, Minnesota, which is southwest of Minneapolis. No damage was immediately reported and it was not immediately known if the observed twister touched down.
The Storm Prediction Center said a lesser potential for severe weather extended as far south as parts of Texas and Oklahoma.
[5:10 PM] Although there are still some details to be worked out, the latest guidance suggests that the severe threat should maximize during the afternoon, with approx onset times shown below. Some storms will linger into the evening, but severe threat should wane by/past sunset. pic.twitter.com/EZNNvJ3qaj
— NWS Wilmington OH (@NWSILN) April 28, 2025
The City of Minneapolis on Monday reiterated its messaging to residents asking them to prepare. The city urged them to ensure they have multiple ways of getting weather alerts, are prepared to take shelter, secure outdoor furniture, and prepare for potential power outages by charging phones and other devices and having flashlights.
The first round of storms darkened skies over downtown Minneapolis around 9 a.m. and brought brief heavy rain, but it triggered no weather warnings as it passed through. The weather service said the situation for the afternoon’s main event remained volatile and could spin up strong tornadoes.
The City of Minneapolis closed its public-facing non-emergency city facilities, including its main service center, as of 2 p.m. and activated its emergency operations center.
The Minneapolis, St. Paul and Bloomington school districts were among several in Minnesota that canceled evening activities ahead of the storms. Some Iowa schools also closed early for the day or canceled evening activities.
As severe thunderstorms began popping up in the early afternoon, the National Weather Service reported 2.8-inch hail near Beaver Creek in southwestern Minnesota. Forecasters issued tornado watches for almost the entire southern half of Minnesota, plus much of northern Iowa and western Wisconsin, effective until late Tuesday.
On Sunday evening, a tornado derailed an empty BNSF coal train west of Ashby in northwestern Nebraska. Initial reports were that a tornado measuring more than 1 mile wide derailed many of the approximately 130 cars on the train, toppling several onto their sides. There were no immediate reports of injuries and the locomotive remained upright, the News Channel Nebraska radio group reported. It was one of several tornadoes reported in that part of Nebraska on Sunday evening.