Thunderstorms Thursday; Irene's Projected Path Shifts

While the focus is on , Thursday won't be sunshine and rainbows, either.

Strong to severe thunderstorms are possible this afternoon and evening, according to a hazardous weather outlook statement issued Thursday morning by the National Weather Service. The city's Class of 2024 celebration at the has been moved indoors to the gymnasium.

The main threat from Thursday's thunderstorms are strong to damaging straight line winds, with hail a secondary concern, the NWS said.

"Locally, heavy rainfall with any thunderstorm may result in isolated pockets of urban and poor drainage street flooding, requiring the issuance of flood advisories," the statement read.

The NWS also said that Hurricane Irene will "likely have a significant impact" across southern New England this weekend, "but the track and exact hazards remain highly uncertain."

On Thursday morning, WBZ reported that the latest models have a "significant" shift in Irene's track, from over eastern Massachusetts as last predicted, to further west over Long Island and Connecticut.

Weather models overnight and this morning made a pronounced shift to the west. Most models yesterday had the path over eastern Massachusetts, now this morning, many have shifted west towards Long Island and Connecticut.

Potential main impacts from Irene include heavy rain and inland flooding, especially west of the storm, the NWS said. Those east of the storm can expect strong, damaging wind gusts and the possibility of  a large storm surge that could result in significant coastal flooding.

"An isolated weak tornado or two are also possible on the north and east side of Irene on Sunday," the NWS statement read. "Seas will build as early as Friday, especially along the south shoreline. Anticipate high surf and dangerous rip currents into early next week."