'Significant' severe weather likely Tuesday and Wednesday
GRAND FORKS - The National Weather Service says a "significant" severe weather outbreak appears to be increasingly more likely across eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota from Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday morning.
The statement reads:
"This severe weather outbreak has the potential to produce strong straight-line thunderstorm wind gusts over a large area, very large hail, and a few tornadoes. In addition, abundant low level moisture will be present for areas of heavy rainfall and localized flash flooding to potentially occur during this weather event.
"An unusually strong upper-level low pressure center, for this time of year, is currently crossing the northern British Columbia coast of Canada. This system will continue to move southeastward and will reach southern Saskatchewan by early Tuesday morning. It will then slow down, intensify, and move eastward near the international border.
"A complex surface frontal system will then track eastward across the Dakotas during the day Tuesday and enter northern Minnesota Tuesday evening. Ahead of the frontal system, strong southerly winds near the surface will allow abundant moisture from the Gulf of Mexico to be drawn into the system. The strong directional turning of winds in the lower portion of the atmosphere will allow rotating supercell thunderstorms to develop with the potential to form tornadoes."