Central Maine could get 1-inch-sized hail this afternoon

A hazardous weather outlook has been issued by the National Weather Service as a swath of strong thunderstorms moves across the state on Wednesday.

Central and southern Piscataquis, central and southern Penobscot and the interior of Hancock counties will likely see strong thunderstorms, heavy downpours and small hail, according to the Caribou NWS office . The strongest storms may produce hail around 1 inch in diameter.

Oxford, Franklin and Somerset counties are at risk for flash flooding this afternoon, with slow moving thunderstorms across the region. Gusty winds will sweep across the area, bringing prolonged thunderstorm systems through the area into Thursday morning.

Some hail could linger with the southern thunderstorm systems, according to the Gray NWS office. Strong wind gusts will make for choppy seas along the coast throughout the evening.

Storm systems should move out of northern Maine throughout the day on Thursday, although skies will remain overcast with a 60 to 70 percent chance of rain throughout the end of the week.

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the amount of hail predicted. Some hail is predicted to be around 1 inch in diameter.