Minnesota Weather: Flash Flood Watch Issued

A flash flood watch has been issued for much of central Minnesota, including the Twin Cities metro area. The National Weather Service says 2 to 3 inches of rainfall is forecasted by Friday evening, with up to 5 inches possible.

Here's the NWS forecast for the Twin Cities metro through Sunday:

Thursday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 7 a.m., then showers and thunderstorms between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m., then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 8 a.m. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. High near 72. East southeast wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.

Thursday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 10 p.m. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. South southeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west southwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers before 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 63. Breezy, with a west wind 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 52. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light west southwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph.

Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Saturday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 61. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 78. Calm wind.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 64. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph.