A series of tornado warnings were issued for parts of northern Connecticut and southern Massachusetts as intense storms rolled through New England Wednesday afternoon.
The first warning was issued shortly before 5 p.m. for parts of Connecticut and western Massachusetts. Two subsequent warnings were issued for Connecticut, with the final warning expiring around 6:15 p.m.
A severe thunderstorm watch was in place until 9 p.m. for parts of Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. The severe thunderstorm threat was most significant from Connecticut into western and central Massachusetts and then into parts of southern Vermont, New Hampshire and interior Maine.
Thunderstorm had been expected to race from northwest to southeast Wednesday afternoon to evening, and while not all communities were expected to see storms equally, the storms that developed fed off of the humidity and high temperatures in the 80s to produce heavy rain, frequent lightning, localized damaging wind and even some rotating storms.
A shifting wind overnight Wednesday night delivers fresh air Thursday as our cold front ships south and catches Hurricane Dorian, sweeping the storm center out to sea. That means the storms will weaken and fizzle out after dark Wednesday and we lose daytime heating. Skies will clear overnight.
Thursday is cooler, with highs in the 60s and 70s. We'll see a lot of sun in Northern New England, with a few extra clouds clinging to areas near the South Coast.
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Friday also features the most sun north, with increasing clouds in southern New England as Dorian nears. Winds will pick up off the water, becoming steady at 10-20 mph. That will keep temperatures in the 60s to around 70.
Dorian’s closest pass by New England comes Friday overnight to early Saturday, when a shot of rain and perhaps gusty wind at the coast is possible, and big waves of 12 to 18 feet in our southern waters are likely, meaning rip currents Friday and Saturday at south-facing beaches. Winds will be strongest in southeastern New england, with gusts of 40-60 mph during that time.
The weather should improve quickly after early morning rain Saturday, leaving dry air, sunshine and a pleasant feeling for the rest of the weekend and the start of next week in our exclusive First Alert 10-day forecast.
Sunday, and much of early next week, will also be bright and nice with highs in the low 70s for many.
