Severe Thunderstorms Hit New England with High Winds and Hail

Severe Thunderstorms Hit New England With High Winds And Hail (IMG SOURCE: wikimedia.org)

BOSTON — If you were planning a calm weekend of iced coffee, farmer’s markets, and Red Sox nostalgia—put it on pause. Mother Nature has other ideas, and they come with thunder.

New England is under the gun this weekend as severe thunderstorms barrel through the region. On Saturday, the National Weather Service (NWS) dropped a Severe Thunderstorm Watch over large swaths of Massachusetts, southern New Hampshire, and parts of Vermont and Connecticut—because why should tornado alley have all the fun?

These storms mean business. We’re talking 60 mph wind gusts, hail the size of coins, and enough rain to turn your front yard into a Slip ’N Slide. According to Boston 25 News, the storms are also capable of knocking down trees and power lines—so yeah, maybe charge your phone now.

The NWS warned that isolated tornadoes could spin up in areas like western Massachusetts and southern Vermont. Again, we’re not saying you’re in Kansas, but…you might want to keep an eye on the sky.

As of Saturday afternoon, counties like Worcester, Middlesex, and Berkshire were all watching the radar like it was Game 7. Over in Vermont, WCAX reported that Bennington and Windham counties are under threat too.

Meanwhile, Litchfield County in Connecticut isn’t catching a break either. WFSB reported severe thunderstorm warnings for parts of Hartford County, with radar showing high winds strong enough to toss your patio furniture into the next ZIP code.

What’s driving this chaos? A stalled-out frontal system (basically a moody weather couch surfer) has parked itself over the Northeast, fueling wave after wave of rain and thunder. According to FOX Weather, don’t expect things to magically clear up Sunday either. More wet weather is on the way, with cooler temps and persistent cloud cover.

So, what should you do?

Stay inside, maybe skip the errands, and definitely keep tabs on your local forecast. If a warning pops up, don’t try to out-drive it. And if your phone buzzes with a weather alert—don’t ignore it. That’s not a TikTok notification; it’s real life.

As the NWS puts it: “When thunder roars, go indoors.”

Wise words.