x
Breaking News
More () »

2 more tornadoes from Tuesday’s storms confirmed by NWS

On Thursday, the National Weather Service confirmed two more tornadoes from Tuesday’s storms, bringing the total across the state to four. The two that we...
Cheshire

On Thursday, the National Weather Service confirmed two more tornadoes from Tuesday's storms, bringing the total across the state to four.

The two that were confirmed today occurred in northern Litchfield County.

Winsted

An EF-1 tornado with winds of 95 mph happened at 3:44 PM Tuesday, as the tornado with a peak width of 175 yards traveled over Rt. 8, knocking down trees during its 0.7 mile path. According to the report from the National Weather Service, "Many homes and power lines were damaged by falling trees. A member of the local community witnessed the tornado." No injuries or deaths were reported due to this tornado.

The Enhanced Fujita Scale is used to measure the severity of tornadoes. It goes from zero to 5, with 5 being extremely violent and zero being the weakest.

Barkhamsted

A weak tornado formed over Barkhamsted Reservoir, staying over water and not impacting land. Because of this, the National Weather Service assigned it a rating of EF-U, which stands for Unknown. There were no injuries or deaths from this.

Southbury to Oxford

Around 5 PM Tuesday, a tornado touched down in the Southbury area and hopped along a 4.5 mile path on its way towards Oxford. The wind peaked at 100 mph, and the National Weather Service assigned it a rating of EF-1.

Beacon Falls to Hamden

Shortly after the Oxford tornado dissipated, the same cluster of storms dropped a tornado in Beacon Falls. It moved through Bethany and continued for a total of 9.5 miles before lifting in the Hamden area. According to the latest NWS report, the Hamden tornado transitioned to a microburst with maximum speeds of 100 mph.

The storm impacted a swath about 1/2 mile in width and 7.25 miles in length, from near Sleeping Giant State Park and Quinnipiac University, across Wharton Brook State Park, to just east of Tyler Mill in Wallingford. Extensive damage occurred, with numerous pine trees uprooted and snapped.

It qualifies as Hamden's first tornado since the destructive F-4 in July 1989.

Connecticut averages 1.3 tornadoes per year, so we have seen our fair share in the past. However, Tuesday will go down as one of our highest-impact severe weather events in years.

Due to storm damage, a number of Connecticut State Parks and Forests are currently closed. Additional parks may be added to this list as assessments continue.

Closed parks include:
• Sleeping Giant, Hamden
• Chatfield Hollow, Killingworth
• Kettletown, Southbury
• Southford Falls, Oxford
• Squantz Pond, New Fairfield
• Putnam Memorial, Redding
• Wharton Brook, Wallingford

Before You Leave, Check This Out