Isolated thunderstorms in Massachusetts Friday could bring lightning, strong winds

The WBZ-TV weather team is issuing a Next Weather Alert for rain and isolated thunderstorms on Friday. Most of the area will stay dry for most of the day, however, a few isolated thunderstorms in the afternoon could present frequent lightning and strong winds.

The window to see an isolated storm is from 3-to-11 p.m. These storms are expected to be highly localized.

The afternoon storm potential has placed Massachusetts in a marginal (level 1 out of 5) risk for strong thunderstorms to reach severe criteria. 

Should any stronger storms materialize, they will pose a low-level threat.

The primary hazard with any storm activity will be frequent lightning. Straight-line winds are also possible Friday. We do not expect excessive rain to be a factor in this.

Given the quick-hitting nature of the storms, not much rain is expected Friday. A little over a tenth of an inch is likely. In areas that see more storm activity, locally higher rainfall amounts are possible.