MAINE, USA — A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for Maine. It will be in effect until 7 p.m. Wednesday evening. The counties included are:
- Androscoggin
- Cumberland
- Franklin
- Hancock
- Kennebec
- Knox
- Lincoln
- Oxford
- Penobscot
- Piscataquis
- Sagadahoc
- Somerset
- Waldo
- Washington
- York
All of New Hampshire is also included in this watch.
A watch means that the ingredients are in place for strong to severe storms. Should a storm fire and become strong enough, a warning will be issued for the local area that will be affected.
The threats expected with these storms are generally heavy rain, strong wind gusts, and hail. Any storms that fire in southern Maine will have to be monitored for rotation, though. While the tornado threat is quite low, it's not zero.
Some of these storms that bring torrential rainfall could cause some minor flooding issues to pop up. These will mostly be limited to areas of poor drainage.
The timing for these storms will vary across the state.
Up north, storms are likely earlier in the day, and there have already been showers and downpours in the Katahdin Region. There was also a severe-warned storm that rolled through Washington County earlier today.
Across southern Maine the action should hold off until mid to late afternoon. The threat will be ongoing through the evening, finally winding down by midnight.
These storms will be ongoing as they enter Maine. You can follow along with our interactive radar to track storms this afternoon.
The NEWS CENTER Maine app will also give you push alerts about severe weather based off of your location.
If you do see severe weather, we'd love to share your pictures and videos. When it is safe to do so, snap a pic and send it through the "Near Me" section of our app.
