Quantcast
Channel: Breaking News - MassLive.com: Ludlow
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 540

National Weather Service: Severe thunderstorm warning for Springfield and other parts of Hampden County

$
0
0

The fast-moving storm packed a powerful punch, including 60-mph winds and lightning, and is being blamed for widespread flooding and scattered power outages.

old-farm_8821.jpg08.15.2012 | SPRINGFIELD -- A city firefighter and a utility worker on Old Farm Road early Wednesday, where emergency workers received a report of a lightning strike that brought down wires.

SPRINGFIELD — The National Weather Service in Taunton has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Springfield and much of central Hampden County until roughly 6 a.m. Wednesday. An urban and small stream flood advisory for eastern sections of Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties remains in effect until 8:15 a.m.

The heavy rainstorm, which was centered around Windsor Locks and Suffield at about 5:15 a.m., caused widespread flooding throughout the Connecticut River Valley, including intersections in Holyoke and Springfield prone to pooling water, but caused no major problems.

In Chicopee, the heavy rain caused "minor flooding," said Chicopee Police Lt. Holly Davis. "We had some flooding because the rain came down so fast, but everything's passable now," she said just before 6:30 a.m. today.

holyoke-rain_8798.jpg08.15.2012 | HOLYOKE -- At 5:30 Wednesday morning a Holyoke police cruiser blocks Lyman Street just uphill from a flooded intersection at Canal Street.

In Holyoke, a police cruiser blocked the intersection of Lyman and Canal streets, where water accumulated at a fast rate. Police also audited other traditional flooding spots in the city, including the underpass at the railroad tracks on Cabot Street.

In Springfield, the situation was equally soggy with police reports indicating flooding at various locations, including Main and Berkshire streets in Indian Orchard. A report of "wires down" near 245 Old Farm Road in the city's Sixteen Acres neighborhood was broadcast over police and fire radios at about 5:30 this morning, but it was not immediately clear if any power outages were reported in that area. Other predawn problems included reports of lightning strikes and a few stranded motorists as the potent storm lit up the sky like a fireworks display.

The downpour appears to have contributed to a car crash on Interstate 91 southbound near Exit 13 in West Springfield, but there were no reported injuries in the single-vehicle incident, according to a Massachusetts State Police trooper stationed at the Springfield barracks. The heavy rain also caused a minor mud slide along the breakdown lane of I-91 near the Longmeadow curve, he said.

According to the National Weather Service, the storm was packing quite a punch with 60-plus-mph winds and the possibility of quarter-sized hail in some parts of the region. The storm was moving at about 20 mph along a northeastern path from around Windsor Locks into Massachusetts.

Public safety officials urged motorists to be on the lookout for flooded roads and ponding, particularly under bridges or along roadways that typically flood during heavy downpours.


Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 540

Trending Articles



<script src="https://jsc.adskeeper.com/r/s/rssing.com.1596347.js" async> </script>