Tornado Watch Extended for Boston to 11 p.m.

The National Weather Service has extended its tornado watch for Suffolk County until 11 p.m. 

A tornado touched down in Springfield this afternoon and headed toward Sturbridge, near the I-90/I-84 interchange. A funnel cloud was reported over Worcester, according to news reports. 

A tornado also touched down in Sturbridge at 7:25 p.m., according to reports. 

There is a severe thunderstorm warning for Boston through 9 p.m.

The governor has declared a state of emergency throughout Massachusetts.

Here are some tornado safety tips from the NOAA website.

In a house with a basement: Avoid windows. Get in the basement and under some kind of sturdy protection (heavy table or work bench), or cover yourself with a mattress or sleeping bag. Know where very heavy objects rest on the floor above (pianos, refrigerators, water beds, etc.) and do not go under them. They may fall down through a weakened floor and crush you.

In a house with no basement, a dorm, or an apartment: Avoid windows. Go to the lowest floor, small center room (like a bathroom or closet), under a stairwell, or in an interior hallway with no windows. Crouch as low as possible to the floor, facing down; and cover your head with your hands. A bath tub may offer a shell of partial protection. Even in an interior room, you should cover yourself with some sort of thick padding (mattress, blankets, etc.), to protect against falling debris in case the roof and ceiling fail.

In an office building, hospital, nursing home or skyscraper: Go directly to an enclosed, windowless area in the center of the building -- away from glass and on the lowest floor possible. Then, crouch down and cover your head. Interior stairwells are usually good places to take shelter, and if not crowded, allow you to get to a lower level quickly. Stay off the elevators; you could be trapped in them if the power is lost.