Severe Storms In MA Could Produce 'Spin-Up" Tornado: Patch PM

MASSACHUSETTS — It's Wednesday, April 21. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• Police shot and killed 31-year-old Phet Gouvonvong in Worcester following a standoff that began late Tuesday night.
• A U.S. Coast Guard crew rescued a fisherman Tuesday who fell ill while at sea off the coast of Cape Cod.
• Police evacuated several homes Tuesday after a World War II hand grenade was found in a yard in Sharon.

Scroll down for more on those and other stories Patch has been covering in Massachusetts today.

Today's Top Story

Much of Massachusetts can expect "severe storms" Wednesday evening, with the hardest-hit areas seeing damaging winds, hail, heavy rain and even a possible spin-up tornado.

The National Weather Service has a severe thunderstorm watch in place in Connecticut and western Massachusetts through 6 p.m. Wednesday. Storms in those regions are expected to start between 3 and 4 p.m. The storms will decrease in intensity as they move east, but some areas in greater Boston will still see severe storms.

The weather service also said there's a chance we could see a brief, spin-up tornado. Also known as a gustnado, a spin-up tornado is a brief, surface-based vortex that forms in a thunderstorm's down burst. They typically last from a few seconds to a few minutes, but there can sometimes be several bursts in a single storm.

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Wednesday's Other Top Stories

Standoff ends with suspect's death: Police shot and killed 31-year-old Phet Gouvonvong in Worcester following a standoff that began late Tuesday night. Police responded to a 911 call around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday about a man armed and possibly in possession of a bomb, according to the Worcester District Attorney's Office. Police negotiated with Gouvonvong, but police opened fire when the man "advanced toward the police officers," Worcester County DA Joseph Early Jr. said early Wednesday morning.

Daring rescue off Cape Cod: A U.S. Coast Guard crew rescued a fisherman Tuesday who fell ill while at sea off the coast of Cape Cod. Coast Guard officials said the 56-year-old fisherman was experiencing severe abdominal pain. Officials sent a helicopter crew and had the fisherman safely aboard around 9:30 a.m.

Firefighter assaulted: A New Hampshire man was arrested Sunday on suspicion of assaulting a first responder during a 911 call in Tewksbury. John Macintosh, a 29-year-old from Hudson, was arrested and charged with assault and battery, as well as assault and battery on ambulance personnel.

Evacuation in Sharon: Police evacuated several homes Tuesday after a World War II hand grenade was found in a yard in Sharon. The Massachusetts State Police bomb squad was called and determined the grenade was inert.

Learn more about getting a COVID-19 vaccine in Massachusetts at Patch's information hub.

Only In Massachusetts: Why Is A Milkshake Called A Frappe?

Only In Massachusetts is an occasional series where Patch tries to find answers to questions about life in Massachusetts. Have a question about the Bay State that needs answering? Send it to dave.copeland@patch.com.

Nearly everywhere else in the U.S., a milkshake is milk, ice cream and syrup blended together. But in Massachusetts, that's the recipe for a frappe. A milkshake in these parts is just milk and syrup, shaken or blended until a foamy head appears.

Unlike the the regional term "packie," there didn't seem to be anyone who knew why we use the word frappe instead of milkshake. This was even more frustrating because milkshakes are a relatively recent culinary invention with a particularly interesting history.

Read the full column.