Storms wreak havoc across Mass., R.I.

Commuters negotiated flooded roadways in Bridgewater yesterday, as a fast-moving storm brought torrential rain to the region. (GEORGE RIZER/GLOBE STAFF)

Powerful thunderstorms with strong winds and golf-ball-size hail ripped through southeastern New England yesterday, flooding roadways from Rhode Island to the Massachusetts coast during rush hour and downing trees and power lines.

Two houses in Marshfield located less than a half-mile apart caught fire when they were struck by lightning, and the National Weather Service received reports of several other houses in suburbs south of Boston being struck as well. There were no known reports of injuries.

Rhode Island and Bristol County were hit the hardest at the outset. Police in Rhode Island closed roads and attributed accidents throughout the state to the poor conditions. Cars were stranded in water as deep as 4 feet.

More than 10,000 National Grid customers lost power, the utility's spokeswoman, Debbie Drew, said. She said that about 8,000 customers in Rhode Island lost power, and that another 2,500 in Massachusetts - mostly in Rehoboth, Swansea, and Seekonk - suffered outages.

Around 9 p.m., 20 houses in the Framingham area were without power, NStar spokesman David Branda said. "I think the most we had out was a couple hundred," he said.

A tornado warning was issued for parts of Rhode Island and Bristol County in Massachusetts at about 4 p.m., after weather-spotters reported a funnel cloud in Barrington, R.I. A water spout was seen over northern Narragansett Bay. Tornado warnings are issued when Doppler radar detects strong rotation in a storm.

The warning was canceled about 45 minutes later, but strong storms and winds continued to batter the area into the evening.

Airports along the East Coast had lengthy delays because of the weather, Logan International Airport spokesman Phil Orlandella said.

"The average delays are at least an hour and a half," he said.

Amtrak service from Philadelphia to Boston was delayed by a power outage.

The rain is expected to continue today and could make for a messy morning commute, said Alan Dunham, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton.

And while the area saw the worst of the storms at the onset, the constant downpour could cause flash floods, and lightning is also a threat, Dunham said.

He said a weather advisory was issued for parts of Central and Western Massachusetts, which could see 5 inches of rain today.

A flood watch was issued through 8 p.m. today.

Forecasters urged people to seek appropriate shelter during storms. On Sunday, 10 people were struck by lightning in Dorchester when they took shelter under a tree.

"If you can hear thunder, you should be indoors," meteorologist Glenn Field said. "That's the safest place."

Martin Finucane of the Globe staff and Globe correspondents Jeannie M. Nuss, Gabrielle T. Dunn, and Casey D. Ramsdell contributed to this report. Milton Valencia can be reached at mvalencia@globe.com.