MA Under Severe Thunderstorm Watch Thursday Afternoon

FRAMINGHAM, MA — A large swath of New England is under a severe thunderstorm watch this afternoon as storms with the potential to bring hail, high winds, and downpours move east, according to the National Weather Service.

The severe thunderstorm watch was issued at 1 p.m. Thursday and will last until 8 p.m. The area under threat includes almost all southern New England from Springfield to Boston, north to Waterville, Maine, and south to Hartford and Providence.

"The main threats for this afternoon are damaging straight-line winds up to 60 miles per hour and hail," the weather service said Thursday. "Keep an eye to the sky this afternoon."

The storms may hit different parts of the state at different times Thursday, but the main window for thunderstorm activity is between 2 and 10 p.m., the weather service predicted. NWS radar showed that some severe weather was already moving into northeast Massachusetts in the Lowell area as of about 1:15 p.m.

A severe thunderstorm watch indicates that there's a threat of severe weather. A severe thunderstorm warning means the danger is imminent.

Although forecasters have not called for tornadoes, July 23 is the anniversary of two major tornado strikes in Massachusetts. In 2019, an EF-1 tornado swept across Cape Cod, and in 2002 an F-1 tornado hit West Brookfield.