Tornado Watch Issued Wednesday Night In Washington County

WASHINGTON COUNTY, MN — The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch Wednesday night in Washington County and urged residents to take shelter.

The tornado watch, which covered 40 counties in central and east central Minnesota, was due to last until midnight but the National Weather Service canceled all tornado warnings in the Twin Cities area before 9 p.m. Wednesday.

The National Weather Service warned that there was still a "threat for 60-70 mph winds" in the Twin Cities' eastern suburbs and into Wisconsin.

"All other portions of the metro are in the clear," the NWS tweeted at 8:53 p.m. Wednesday.

The National Weather Service also warned that heavy rain could cause minor flooding in Washington County until around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday.