Western Tidewater under severe thunderstorm watch

Published 7:39 pm Friday, May 16, 2025

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The National Weather Service (NWS) reported shortly before 7 p.m. on Friday, May 16, that severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from Smithfield to near Suffolk to near Boykins, moving east at 50 mph.

A transformer is reportedly down in Sedley. (Photo by Mitzi Lusk)

The city of Franklin, Southampton County and Isle of Wight County are under a severe thunderstorm watch until 11 p.m. this evening.

In a Hazardous Weather Outlook that applies to multiple regions, including southeast Virginia, NWS reported that scattered “strong-to-severe storms are possible this afternoon into tonight. Damaging winds are the primary threat, but large hail and a tornado or two are also possible. … Additional strong-to-severe storms are possible Saturday afternoon and evening, but confidence is low.”