Yesterday, strong thunderstorms swept the southeast side of the Twin Cities into western Wisconsin. Wind gusts over 60 mph, heavy rain and hail the size of ping-pong balls were reported in parts of Rosemount and east toward Coates and Hastings. The 60 mph wind gusts also damaged trees in Hudson, Wisconsin. Thursday’s thunderstorms extended from Lakeville and northeast to Rosemount, Hastings, Vermillion, Cottage Grove, Woodbury, Afton, Lakeland and Prescott, Ellsworth, River Falls and Hudson in Wisconsin.

The rest of the Twin Cities saw less than favorable weather Thursday, as thunderstorms began to form directly over the metropolitan area but did not begin to produce precipitation until east of I-35E. Further north, a tornado was reported 35 miles north of Duluth near Cotton (170 miles northeast of the Twin Cities), and hail caused damage to cars on I-35 southwest of Duluth in the Mahtowa area, about 25 miles southwest of Duluth.

Fair weather in the Twin Cities today with sunshine, low humidity (dew point around 50°F), and highs around 80°F with west winds 8 to 15 mph. Clear tonight for high school football games starting at 7 p.m., highs around 75°F, cooling to 70°F by 10 p.m. Overnight increasing clouds with scattered showers and thunderstorms possible from 1 a.m. to 7 a.m., mainly north of the Twin Cities toward St. Cloud, Cambridge, and northeast to the Amery, Wisconsin area. Overnight lows will be around 59°F with southeast winds 8 to 16 mph.

Partly cloudy, muggy and windy Saturday, with isolated thunderstorms possible from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. – some of the thunderstorms Saturday afternoon could be strong, mainly along a line from Albert Lea through Red Wing to Eau Claire, Wisconsin and farther south, including Cannon Falls, Northfield, Faribault, Owatonna, Rochester, Austin, Winona and La Crosse, Wisconsin, and south into northern Iowa, including Mason City, Iowa.

Sunday, the first official day of fall (direct sunlight over the equator), will feel autumnal with a mix of clouds and sun, a mild northwest wind of 10-15 mph, and highs of around 18°C. Monday will be cool again, with isolated showers possible, otherwise partly cloudy with highs of around 18°C ​​and lows of around 9°C on Tuesday morning. Temperatures will be around 21°C from Tuesday through next Thursday. JONATHAN YUHAS