RI Weather Forecast: Severe Storms Possible, Then Heat Wave

Rhode Island is still under a hazardous weather outlook but has thus far avoided a flash flood watch, even as much of the Massachusetts border is under one. The storms today are nonetheless expected to be potent, and forecasters are warning of potential outages and storm-related damages.

The rainfall is expected to come in the form of serious downpour that may lead to potential flooding in urban and poor drainage areas. The northern half of Rhode Island will see the worst of it, with rainfall totals of about 2 inches. The rest of the state will still get wet.

The power of the storms is also something to keep an eye on: "Thunderstorms this morning & later today could be strong, potentially severe, w/ embedded threats of isolated strong to damaging winds, including a non-zero threat of a brief tornado," the National Weather Service said.

The storms often come with the threat of power outages. Make sure to keep up with Patch as the day progresses; We'll update you with real-time news on outages and other storm-related damage around town. Subscribe to your local Patch here.

Forecasters are warning of potential thunderstorms and the possibility of flooding through noon, then another round of rain in the afternoon.

After the rain, forecasters are expecting something of a heat wave. Temperatures will soar past 90 degrees and heat indices will climb as high as 100. The beach weather is expected to last throughout the week.