Thunderstorms that forecasters say could be severe have begun marching across the state this afternoon.
Shortly before 4:40 p.m., National Weather Service forecasters said a strong thunderstorm was 18 miles west of Fitchburg, heading east at 55 miles per hour.
The forecasters warned of hail up to the size of quarters and wind gusts over 60 miles per hour, not to mention the heavy rainfall.
Weather service radar showed another set of storms behind the first wave.
“Keep an eye on the sky,†said weather service meteorologist Bill Simpson.
The severe storms should mostly subside when the atmosphere cools after the sun goes down. There will be a lingering possibility for thunderstorms overnight.
It’ll be cooler Tuesday, with highs in the upper 70s, reducing potential storms’ potency. However, there’ll still be instability, bringing another shot at showers and thunderstorms. Simpson said this system will bring more intermittent rain, rather than a steady downpour like recent storms.
Tuesday’s showers will likely be more widespread than those today, Simpson said.
The week should close out nicely, with mostly sunny skies and highs in the mid-70s Wednesday, and conditions only improving through Thursday and Friday, with mostly sunny skies and highs in the upper 70s.
Lauren Dezenski can be reached at lauren.dezenski@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @LaurenDezenski.
