NORTHAMPTON — Thursday will be a wet and muggy one in the Pioneer Valley with severe thunderstorms possible in the afternoon.
The morning will see a cloudy start, with breaks in the clouds before noon. Throughout the morning there may be scattered showers, but these will likely turn into storms after noon until the evening, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Alan Dunham.
“The downpours and wind could make for bad visibility, especially while driving on Interstate 91,” Dunham said. “If that happens people are definitely going to need to slow down.”
The chance of precipitation is 50 percent, with the potential for strong gusts of wind and heavy downpours, which could amount to anywhere between one tenth of an inch to three quarters of an inch of rainfall.
The severity of storms may intensify in the early evening, with a line of thunderstorms coming in from the west between 4 and 9 p.m. These storms might bring potential lightning, minor flooding and damaging winds and even a short-lived tornado, according to the National Weather Service.
Dunham urged drivers to be cautious during afternoon and evening storms.
While the temperatures will be lower than Wednesday — hovering in the mid eighties — it will feel just as hot due to the higher amount of moisture in the air, said Dunham.
After 10 p.m. the storms should have passed, leaving potential for patchy fog. Temperatures could drop as low as 68 degrees.
Friday should be a sunny, hot day with a high near 92 degrees.