Massachusetts Expands Tornado Watch to 7 Counties as NWS Warns of 80 mph Gusts

3 articles · Updated · Boston Herald · Jun 18

Berkshire County’s morning tornado watch spread by afternoon to Essex, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex and Worcester, with the alert running until 7 p.m. and potentially extending farther east.
NWS said wind shear, humidity and daytime clearing could fuel two storm rounds, with a line moving from western New York expected to hit western Massachusetts around 2 to 4 p.m. and Boston between 4 and 8 p.m.
80 mph gusts, a couple of tornadoes, half-inch hail and frequent lightning were the main threats, while Shelburne Falls, Cummington, Goshen, Leominster, Fitchburg and Gardner also came under severe thunderstorm warnings.
More than 7 million people, 2,247 schools and 149 hospitals lay within the multistate watch area, and Boston Harbor waters were under a gale warning with 40-knot winds and waves up to 9 feet.