Tornado Watch in Effect Until 8pm

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for Lehigh and Northampton counties until 8pm this evening.

A special weather statement from the weather service at 1pm said thunderstorms are already forming in central and northwestern portions of the state, and that they are expected to increase in intensity while moving east.

The statement said some of these storms could produce strong, gusty winds, hail and possibly a tornado while moving eastward.

Several tornadoes have recently touched down in parts of eastern Pennsylvania, including one in northeast Philadelphia May 18 and another one in Franklin Township, Carbon County, on May 23.

Patch will monitor all the developments and report updates as warranted.

For the full Hellertown area weather forecast, visit here.