CHAPLIN, Conn — The National Weather Service (NWS) backtracked and said that a tornado did not touch down in eastern Connecticut over the weekend. Instead, it was a funnel cloud.
A team from the NWS visited the state Sunday hours after a Doppler radar indicated that a rotating thunderstorm had moved across the Chaplin area around 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Photos and videos from viewers in the area showed a large funnel cloud that began in Manchester and traveled eastward to Storrs and Killingly, near the Rhode Island border. Initially, the NWS said that a tornado touched down, however, a report Monday said that the team was “unable to find any damage consistent with a tornado.”
The team surveyed the towns of Chaplin, Hampton, Brooklyn, Plainfield and Killingly before making the determination. They said a drone video from the southern end of Pine Acres Lake in Hampton showed a couple of trees downed.
Also, the Civil Air Patrol flew several times across the region and did not spot damage that could be attributed to a tornado.
The NWS said meteorologists had cited the “presence of what is known as a tornado debris signature” on the radar. However, upon further review, determined that the disturbance was actually a funnel cloud that came “dangerously close to touching down by never did so.”
One of the differences between a tornado and a funnel cloud is whether it touches down.
In its report on Monday, the NWS also determined that a microburst passed through the town of Manchester around 7:30 p.m. Saturday, downing dozens of trees in a small portion of the town center. The damage occurred between Spring Street and Carriage Drive and along Gardner Street, they said.
While no injuries or damaged homes were reported, thousands of residents lost power due to the storm.
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