Tornado Watch 698 Covers 33 Counties Including the Twin Cities Until 9 P.M.: EF2-or-Stronger Risk, First Tornado Warning Issued
MINNEAPOLIS, Hennepin County, Minnesota — The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center issued Tornado Watch No. 698 at 3:40 p.m. CDT on October 28, covering the Minneapolis–St. Paul Twin Cities area until 9 p.m. The watch spans 33 counties in total — 21 in Minnesota and 12 in Wisconsin; the Twin Cities weather service office's county notification lists 29 counties in its own area of responsibility (20 in Minnesota and 9 in Wisconsin), with the remainder — Minnesota's Pine County and Wisconsin's Burnett, Sawyer and Washburn counties — falling under the Duluth office.
The Storm Prediction Center placed the Twin Cities at Level 2 of 5 for severe thunderstorm risk and noted a risk of EF2 or stronger tornadoes; other threats include hail up to 1.5 inches in diameter and wind gusts to 70 mph. Several severe thunderstorm warnings were already in effect across the watch area by 4 p.m., and the first tornado warning within the watch area was issued at 4:53 p.m. The Twin Cities office had also warned of a storm over Mora moving northeast at 40 mph with quarter-size hail. Residents should follow the National Weather Service for the latest watches and warnings.
Source: GSM · USA
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 配图为超级单体雷暴（资料图），美国国家海洋和大气管理局国家强风暴实验室，公共领域。File photo of a supercell thunderstorm, NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory, public domain.
