Thunderstorms pass through Mass., leaving little damage

A woman walked through the streets with her umbrella on a rainy day in South Boston earlier this month. More rain could be hitting Eastern Mass. on Thursday.Carlin Stiehl for The Boston Globe

Rounds of thunderstorms rolled across Southern New England on Thursday, bringing heavy downpours, high winds, and minor localized flooding, forecasters said.

Morning storms were followed by a second round of showers that passed into Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island about noon, according to the National Weather Service in Norton.

[3:10 pm] the sun is out across western Massachusetts into northwest Connecticut. This clearing line is moving steadily eastward, with sunshine for most before #sunset. The exception may be #CapeCod & #Nantucket, where clearing occurs after sunset. #MAwx #RIwx #CTwx #Boston pic.twitter.com/FQFnOCTzGF

— NWS Boston (@NWSBoston) September 22, 2022

By about 3 p.m., skies began to clear across Western Massachusetts and Northwest Connecticut as the storms passed over the region, the weather service said. Rain continued into the late afternoon on Cape Cod and the islands, but wound down as evening approached, according to the weather service.

“The front is just about through the islands currently,” Kyle Pederson, a weather service meteorologist, said about 5 p.m. “We’re still seeing rain here in Norton, but that should end shortly. It will keep ending west to east as we go throughout the evening.”

The storms hit heaviest west of Springfield, an area that received about 1 to 1.5 inches of rain, while the accumulation in the Boston area was mostly in the range of .25 to .5 inch, according to Pederson. From Brockton to Cape Cod, totals ranged from 1 inch to 1.5 inches, he said.

Some of the highest accumulations were in the Marshfield area, where there were measurements of 2.32 inches and 2.29 inches, while Norton received 1.9 inches and Lexington saw 1.02 inches, Pederson said.

The weather service received reports of localized street flooding but no significant water damage, he said. But in both Swansea and Charlton, homes were struck by lightning, causing small fires, according to Pederson.

The weather should be drier and warmer Friday, as a cold front moves out of the region, with warm but seasonable weather through the weekend, Pederson said.

Travis Andersen of the Globe staff contributed to this report.

[12 pm] Round #2 of #thunderstorms (flashes) now rolling through eastern CT into RI and eastern MA. Heavy downpours, frequent #lightning and gusty winds are the main concerns. #MAwx #RIwx #CTwx pic.twitter.com/A5PEMVATIA

— NWS Boston (@NWSBoston) September 22, 2022