Tornado Watch Alert: Is Your County in the Path of Tonight’s Dangerous Storms?

Residents across the Upper Midwest are bracing for severe storms this evening as the National Weather Service (NWS) issues multiple Tornado Watches covering much of central and western Wisconsin as well as eastern Minnesota. The most urgent alert, Tornado Watch 698, extends until 9 p.m. CDT and includes Eau Claire, Chippewa, Dunn, Barron, Polk and surrounding counties. Forecasters warn that any storm developing in this corridor could quickly rotate, producing tornadoes, wind gusts over 70 mph and hail up to two inches in diameter. Farther west, a separate watch blankets the Twin Cities metropolitan area through late evening. Meteorologists note a “conditional but real” tornado threat tied to a warm front lifting north of Minneapolis–St. Paul; if storms fire along that boundary during peak heating, they may intensify rapidly and race east-northeast at 40–50 mph. Key timing and impacts • 4 p.m.–7 p.m.: Discrete supercells possible along the I-35 corridor from Owatonna to Cambridge. • 6 p.m.–10 p.m.: Line of severe thunderstorms expected to sweep from Eau Claire toward Green Bay, posing the highest tornado risk just ahead of the line. • Overnight: Storms transition to a damaging-wind event across northern Michigan while a trailing cold front brings sharply cooler air to the region. Counties in the watch area should activate severe-weather plans now. Outdoor Halloween events are strongly discouraged this evening as lightning and sudden wind shifts can arrive with little warning. Safety checklist 1. Enable Wireless Emergency Alerts on all smartphones. 2. Identify your lowest, most interior room or a designated tornado shelter. 3. Keep a battery-powered NOAA Weather Radio plus spare batteries on hand. 4. Charge power banks and gather flashlights before storms arrive. 5. If traveling, know the nearest sturdy building; do not shelter beneath highway overpasses. Why tonight’s setup is dangerous A potent low-pressure system crossing the northern Plains is drawing muggy Gulf air deep into the Upper Mississippi Valley. At the same time, a powerful 70-knot mid-level jet streak is overspreading the warm sector. This combination of strong wind shear and unseasonably high dew points is a classic recipe for rotating thunderstorms. Even one isolated storm could spawn multiple brief yet damaging tornadoes before a squall line develops later tonight. Forecast outlook • Thursday: Clearing skies, temperatures falling into the 50s with gusty northwest winds. • Weekend: Tranquil but cooler; highs 48-54 °F with overnight lows near freezing. Stay tuned to local TV, NOAA Weather Radio and trusted social media feeds for realtime warning updates. If a Tornado Warning is issued for your location, move to shelter immediately—seconds count when a funnel is already forming.