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Severe Thunderstorms Bring Hail, Lightning To Eastern Mass., NH

BOSTON (CBS) - Severe thunderstorms passed through eastern Massachusetts and New Hampshire Wednesday morning and more are expected this afternoon.

Check: Current Conditions | Weather Map Center | Interactive Radar

LIGHTNING STRIKES IN ANDOVER, LOWELL

In Andover, a house may have been struck by lightning, sparking a fire that left parts of the attic burned out. The house isn't a total loss, but firefighters said it's going to be awhile before the homeowner can move back in.

"They had to force entry they had to...the rest of the home sustained heavy water and smoke damage as a result of the firefighting efforts," said Chief Michael Mansfield of the Andover Fire Department.

The homeowner was at work when the fire started, but a dog that was inside fortunately escaped on its own. Tough conditions exhausted the firefighters.

WBZ-TV's Alana Gomez reports.

Meanwhile, in Lowell, a woman lost power after lightning struck her chimney.

Officials did not say lightning definitely caused the fire there, but said it's likely. They're still investigating all possibilities.

Here are the latest reports from the Amateur Radio SKYWARN severe weather spotters network:

  • 348 PM: Northampton, Mass: Quarter to Half Dollar Hail near VA Medical Center in Northampton
  • 346 PM: Lenox, Mass: Quarter Sized Hail
  • 343 PM: Peru, Mass: Half Dollar Sized Hail
  • 338 PM: Northampton, Mass: 3/8-1/2" hail lasting 7 Minutes
  • 332 PM: Chesterfield, Mass: 1" Hail
  • 332 PM: Huntington, Mass: 1.00" Hail in Littleville area of Huntington
  • 326 PM: Deerfield, Mass: Trees down on Route 116 at Hillside Road in South Deerfield.
  • 321 PM: Keene, NH: 1.50" Hail in the Tanglewood Estates area of Keene. 1.75" Hail at the Southwest New Hampshire Dispatch Center
  • 319 PM: Keene, NH: 1/4" Hail and a wall cloud with no rotation on Route 12A and Court Street
  • 315 PM: Keene, NH: 1.50" (Ping Pong Ball) Hail
  • 314 PM: Keene, NH: 1.00" Hail on Winchester Street
  • 312 PM: Keene, NH: 3/4" Hail on West Street
  • 310 PM: Keene, NH: 1/2" Hail in Keene Road area
  • 308 PM: Swanzey, NH: 3/4" hail
  • 307 PM: Keene, NH: 1/2" Hail Tanglewood Estates
  • 305 PM: Plymouth, NH: Golf Ball Sized Hail
  • 256 PM: Pittsfield, Mass: Dime to Nickel Sized Hail with several streets having 4-6" of street flooding
  • 246 PM: New Ashford, Mass: Nickel Sized Hail 250 PM: New Ashford, Mass: Nickel Sized Hail
  • 935 AM: Duxbury, Mass: 3/4" Hail
  • 928 AM: Halifax, Mass: Pea Sized Hail
  • 928 AM: Pembroke, Mass: Pea Sized Hail
  • 917 AM: Bridgewater, Mass: Pea Sized Hail
  • 917 AM: Hanson, Mass: Pea Sized Hail
  • 906 AM: Lowell, Mass: Lightning Strike with Smoke Showing on Parkview Street
  • 900 AM: North Reading, Mass: 1/2" to 5/8" Hail covering the ground on Gordon Road
  • 900 AM: Franklin, Mass: Pea Sized Hail
  • 900 AM: Andover, Mass: Structure Fire due to lightning (2nd alarm) on 8 Hawk Ridge (Time on incident approximate)
  • 843 AM: Sandown, NH: House Fire due to Lightning on Alexis Lane
  • 843 AM: Plaistow, NH: 1/4" Hail
  • 840 AM: Boxford, Mass: Dime Sized Hail
  • 840 AM: Methuen, Mass: Golf Ball Sized Hail...time estimated via radar.
  • 840 AM: Concord, Mass: Pea Sized Hail
  • 835 AM: Hampstead, NH: 3/4" Hail on Boulder Cove Road
  • 825 AM: Maynard, Mass: Dime to Quarter Sized Hail lasting 3 minutes
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