Parts of Maine Under a Tornado Watch on Thursday Afternoon

There is a chance that we could see a tornado touch down in Northern New England on Thursday afternoon or evening.

According to an article on the WMTW website, the National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for much of southern and western Maine through 7 p.m. Thursday, including the state’s largest cities of Portland and Lewiston.

The watch covers all of Androscoggin, Cumberland, Franklin, Oxford and York counties, along with coastal waters from Kittery to Port Clyde. It also extends across the entire state of New Hampshire. A flood watch remains in effect through the evening for parts of western Maine and northern New Hampshire.

Forecasters say while much of Maine saw steady rain Thursday morning, storms developing later in the day could bring damaging wind gusts strong enough to knock down trees and cause scattered power outages. An isolated tornado is also possible, with the greatest threat expected from mid-afternoon into the early evening.

The heaviest rainfall is expected in the White Mountains and western Maine, where some areas could see more than an inch of rain. Wind gusts of 30 mph or higher are possible statewide, with stronger gusts exceeding 35 mph possible in Portland, Augusta and Bangor. Officials urge residents to stay alert and have a way to receive weather warnings as conditions can change quickly.