A tornado warning was issued and lifted for the Twin Cities metro area Thursday afternoon.
The warning came as a tornado watch was issued across all of central Minnesota and into northwest Wisconsin, to last until 8 p.m.
Sirens could be heard in downtown Minneapolis around 2:30 p.m. For 40 minutes beginning at 2 p.m., the Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop at the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, preventing flights bound for the Twin Cities from taking off, spokesman Jeff Lea said.
The ground stop also forced nine planes heading to the Twin Cities to temporarily land at other airports, Lea said.
The tornado watch includes 35 counties in Minnesota, including the Twin Cities metro area, and 20 counties in Wisconsin, according to the National Weather Service. All told, the affected area stretches as far west as the North Dakota border and as far east as La Crosse.
Other cities in the affected area include Brainerd, Hinckley, St. Cloud, Morris, Willmar and Red Wing in Minnesota and Hayward, Rice Lake and Eau Claire in Wisconsin.
A tornado was reported near Spring Hill, Minn., west of St. Cloud. There have been no reports of damage.
