A line of severe thunderstorms moved across New England on Friday, spawning at least two tornadoes south of Boston and east of Providence, R.I., and generating strong gusts that toppled trees and power lines, officials said.
There were no immediate reports of injuries in connection with the storms, which prompted the National Weather Service to issue flash flood warnings for parts of Massachusetts, including Boston.
Kevin Cadima, a meteorologist with the Weather Service in Boston, said a tornado had been confirmed in Scituate, R.I., west of Providence, at around 8:45 a.m. A survey team has been dispatched to assess the damage, he said.
Another tornado was confirmed on Friday morning near Mansfield, Mass., southwest of Boston, the Weather Service said.
The line of thunderstorms strengthened over parts of New England just after sunrise on Friday, drenching Rhode Island with heavy rain before moving toward the eastern tip of Massachusetts, the Weather Service in Boston said. The thunderstorms were expected to exit the region by Friday afternoon, the Weather Service said.
Downed trees and power lines in the Providence area forced Amtrak to suspend train service between Boston and Providence on Friday, disrupting travel along the busy Northeast Corridor. Amtrak said service was restored around 1:45 p.m., after more than two hours, but delays continued into the afternoon because of residual “rail congestion.”
Todd Manni, the director of emergency management for the town of Smithfield, R.I., just northwest of Providence, said the storms and the tornado appeared to have mainly battered the nearby towns of Scituate and Johnston, as well as northern Providence. A tornado warning for Smithfield expired at around 9:15 a.m., he said, and the storms had moved on to Massachusetts by late Friday morning.
The flash flood warnings were in effect until noon. Forecasters warned that flash flooding was most likely to occur near highways and small creeks and streams, and in urban and low-lying areas.
Judson Jones contributed reporting.
