Rain, hail and lightning means it's summer in western Mass.

By L. Finch, Globe Correspondent

The sky over western Massachusetts crackled this afternoon with electricity as a fierce storm system passed overhead throwing down lightning, heavy rains and, in some places, small hail, according to the National Weather Service in Taunton.

The National Weather Service this afternoon issued severe thunderstorm warnings for parts of Hampden, Hampshire and Worcester counties as the storm system rolled through, according to the agency. The expired at 4:30 p.m., officials said.

The storm, moving east at about 35 to 40 miles per hour, whipped up strong winds and registered high lightning activity, said meteorologist Charlie Foley.

“It’s a lot of lightning, a lot of rain,” said Foley. But the storm is not very widespread in the Bay State, with most of the damage reports in New York, he said.

The rest of the state remains under a hazardous weather outlook until tonight when the storm finally passes through, he said.