6:15 pm Friday Evening Thunderstorm Update For Areas Along The Mass Pike & Route 20

Radar imagery at the time of this post showed a west to east oriented line of torrential downpours and thunderstorms stretching from the Springfield Metro eastward along the Mass Pike and Route 20 through Palmer, Monson, Brimfield and Sturbridge. All of this activity is moving in a easterly direction at a forward speed of 20 mph.

Those of traveling on either the Mass Pike or Route 20 from Springfield and points east through Brimfield, Sturbridge, Charlton and Auburn, be aware that heavy downpours and some occasional thunder will be a threat for the next hour or so. Areas along I-84 and I-395 will also be affected as well.

These heavy downpours will lead to some very poor travel conditions for those traveling. Given that some of these heavy downpours will be reoccurring over the same areas, some street and highway flooding is likely.

5:15 pm Friday Afternoon Thunderstorm Update For Western & Central Mass

An area of strong to severe thunderstorms are now located over Palmer. This thunderstorm is moving in a southeasterly direction at a forward speed of about 20 mph.

These strong to severe thunderstorms will affect Brimfield, Monson and Holland over the next 30 minutes & will reach Sturbridge, Southbridge and Brimfield by about 5:45 pm or so. Areas a little further east towards Dudley, Webster and Oxford will be affected by this thunderstorm by 6-6:15 pm.

Frequent lightning, wind gusts of up to 40-60 mph and torrential downpours are all expected with these thunderstorms as they move through.

These thunderstorms should last for about 45 minutes from start to finish at any one location.

4:45 pm Friday Afternoon Thunderstorm Update For Western & Central Mass

Quick update - The strong thunderstorm now located over South Hadley and just north of Chicopee has turned to a more southeasterly direction. This means that areas of the Mass Pike and Route 20 from about Palmer and Brimfield eastward through Sturbridge & Charlton to about Auburn will probably be impacted by this thunderstorm.

Based on the current new forward motion of the thunderstorm, it will reach areas around Palmer and Brimfield by 5:30 pm, Sturbridge, Southbridge & Charlton by about 6 pm or so & then Auburn, Oxford and Webster by about 6:30 pm.

This strong thunderstorm is producing frequent lightning, along with wind gusts of up to 40 mph and torrential downpours.