Some locations could get up to 5 inches of rain.

Adam Uren

The seven-county Twin Cities metro area is included in a flash flood watch that covers a large chunk of southern Minnesota from the border with South Dakota all the way to the border with Wisconsin.

Heavy rain associated with strong storms is expected to develop in South Dakota and move through Minnesota overnight through Thursday morning, with a widespread area of 2-3 inches of rain possible.

NWS Twin Cities

"A Flash Flood Watch has been issued for much of south-central Minnesota on Thursday. The Flash Flood Watch is valid from 1am Thursday to Thursday evening. 2 to 3 inches of rainfall is forecast by Friday evening with 3 to 5 inches possible in localized areas," says the National Weather Service in the Twin Cities.

Here's more details from the NWS:

"Thunderstorms capable of excessive rainfall are expected to begin tonight across western Minnesota, and spread across the rest of the watch area during the overnight hours. The heaviest rainfall is expected to fall during the overnight hours, but additional storms redeveloping Thursday afternoon will only exacerbate any flooding issues. Widespread rainfall amounts of 2 to 3 inches are expected by Friday evening across the watch area, with localized amounts of 3 to 5 inches possible in areas where the most stationary bands of thunderstorms set up."

"The combination of high rainfall rates and wet soil conditions could lead to rapid runoff and areas of flash flooding," the weather service adds.

Some storms that redevelop Thursday afternoon could be severe, especially in far southern Minnesota. We'll update the Weather MN blog when Thursday's severe weather outlook is issued in the morning.