Heavy Rains, Winds Left Storm Damage In Their Wake

BOSTON (CBS) -- As heavy storms moved through New England on Wednesday evening, reports rolled in of storm damage across the region.

On Wednesday, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency reported more than 24,000 power outages across the state. New Hampshire Homeland Security and Emergency Management reports more than 25,000 power outages across the state.

In Dracut, a tree landed in Wanda Boyd's yard. "It is what is. I mean it happened; I'm just glad everybody's okay. They are going to clean it up and it's another day," Boyd said.

In Lexington, there were reports of a lightning strike on Turning Mile Road.

In Lowell, it was also lightning that chased Kali Freeman from her home — and sent firefighters hunting for the smoke that residents spotted seeping from the attic. "For me, it was like as long as I have the kids and we're safe everything else. can be replaced," Freeman said.

In Merrimac, the fire department asked residents to stay off the roads, to make cleanup easier. In Holliston, firefighters battled a house fire on Hanlon Road after the house was hit by lightning.

In Nashua, the fire department responded to a home, where a large tree had come down, taking the electrical feed to the house. The life wire was sparking inside, at the electrical panel in the cellar and outside where the wire met the house. The fire spread to the kitchen cabinets, and smoke spread throughout the house.

Trees down were a common sight across the region, including in Rindge, New Hampshire, and Jaffrey, New Hampshire.

Route 1 saw storm damage, with a downed tree. Route 1 northbound and southbound was closed by the Lynnfield tunnel due to flooding.

In Worcester, the Woo Sox game At Polar Park was canceled due to the storm. The game will be played Thursday.

The nasty thunderstorms are mother nature's somewhat harsh method of dispatching our three-day heatwave. On Brandy Brow Road in Haverhill, a tree snapped severing a power pole, dumping the wires and pole into the road. Now, the heatwave is broken — replaced by storm cleanup in Haverhill — where tree and power crews are still working to get the lights back.

And then came the rainbow.