Rain soaks Boston Friday night

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The National Weather Service expects rain to soak Boston Friday night, with the heaviest showers occurring before 10:30 p.m.

Frank Nocera, a metereologist with the service's office in Taunton, anticipated the skies to clear up sometime after midnight.

He expected Saturday temperatures to have highs between 80 and 85 with "a real comfortable humidity."

Earlier in the evening, a tornado watch was issued for much of Western Massachusetts. That watch was discontinued by 9:30 p.m.

The watch included Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire counties, in addition to parts of Connecticut and Vermont.

Areas of Eastern New York near the Mass. border were under a tornado warning until 4:30 p.m.

The National Weather Service earlier said the day would start with lots of sun and comfortably dry air, but by dinnertime and into the overnight hours, a turbulent combo of lighting and dangerous thunderstorms and will likely control the skies.

The agency wrote in a weather bulletin that the afternoon will bring the possibility of scattered showers and storms, but the region faces a greater threat from a line of dangerous weather that will move into the New England from the west as the evening approaches.

The strongest storms will arrive in the western part of the state between 6 and 9 p.m., and will likely reach Boston between 9 p.m. and midnight.

"Damaging wind, dangerous cloud to ground lightning, and heavy rainfall are the primary threats," forecasters wrote. "However., large hail and a brief isolated tornado are also possible in western New England.

Temperatures will rise into the lower 80s on Friday and as the daylight reaches an end, humidity will increase as the precipitation-laden weather system arrives. Overnight temperatures will drop into the 60s and once the rain ends, the humidity will decrease, forecasters said.

Meteorologists will be watching the sky, and they are urging the public to observe along with them.

"Severe weather possible this evening into tonight,'' forecasters wrote on social media. "Keep an eye to the sky.''

Once the unsettled weather fades, the region will settle into a Fourth of July weekend of very nice weather with mostly blue skies, lower humidity and daytime temperatures in the 80s through Monday, forecasters wrote.

"Dry weather continues throughout southern New England through next week,'' forecasters wrote. "No precipitation is expected from Saturday onwards.''

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