Saturday night severe thunderstorm watch includes the Twin Cities

9:10 p.m. update

The strongest cell is moving from Stearns County into Kandiyohi and Meeker counties and continues to pose a threat of dropping large hail and pushing out strong winds.

The eastern side of the cluster of storms appears to be weakening and is no longer severe, though it is still producing heavy rain, frequent lightning and perhaps some small hail and gusty winds.

Original story

The Twin Cities metro area is included in a severe thunderstorm watch issued by the National Weather Service on Saturday evening.

The watch, which also includes the middle section of Minnesota, was issued at 6:25 p.m. and is in effect until 1 a.m. Sunday. At 6:40 p.m., severe thunderstorms were located in the Brainerd area and moving east-southeast at 30 mph. Those storms posed the threat of large hail and 60 mph wind gusts.

"Isolated to scattered thunderstorms are forecast to continue to develop and move east-southeast through the evening," says the National Weather Services.

"Supercells capable of large to very large hail (diameter 1 to 2.5 inches) and severe gusts (60-70 mph) will be the primary storm mode through the early evening. Upscale growth into a linear cluster may occur later this evening with severe gusts possibly becoming the main hazard."

Take a look at how the HRRR model below predicts the radar to evolve over the course of the night. It suggests the strongest cells could remain west of the Twin Cities, though take it with a grain of salt.

The storm threat in the metro should be over with by about 10-11 p.m.