Power Outage in Torrington, CT

A power pole, tree and wires were downed on Mountain Road.

Trees and powerlines were reported down.

A tree was downed onto powerlines.

Power lines were downed along Segar Mountain Road.

A lightning strike was reported to have downed a tree and power wires in Falls Village.

Broadcast Media reported that downed power lines resulted in a man exiting a vehicle to be electrocuted. The man died as a result of the injuries.

Numerous trees and power lines were reported down due to thunderstorm winds in Torrington.

Trees were reported down on wires due to strong thunderstorm winds near the intersection of Route 183 and Hillandale Boulevard in Torrington. The trees were reported to have caught fire resulting in power outages.

Numerous branches, 6-12 inches in diameter, were reported down which took out some power lines on West Hill Road in Barkhamsted due to strong thunderstorm winds.

Trees were reported down at State Route 63 and County Road, Route 61, in Litchfield due to strong thunderstorm winds. Numerous trees and powerlines were reported down on Whites Wood Road and tree damage was reported on Webster Road. Also, Richards Road and East Chestnut Hill Road were closed.

Thunderstorm winds downed trees and power lines in Burrville and other sections of Torrington. In Torrington, the trees were reported down on Guerdat Road, Newfield Road, and on Wilson Avenue.

A low pressure area developed in the Mississippi Valley by late on January 2. The storm tracked northward into the southern Ohio Valley, then rapidly redeveloped along the Mid Atlantic seaboard on January 3. Slowly, it moved to just east of Cape Cod by late on January 4. With plenty of cold air in place, the stage was set for another snowstorm across northwestern Connecticut. Although this storm was not as powerful as the Christmas Day storm, by moving more slowly, it produced similar snowfall amounts. Light snow began falling early on the January 3, then it became heavier and steadier as the day wore on. Some sleet mixed in. Between 6 and 12 inches of snow fell, with 10 inches specifically reported in Bakersville and 8 inches at New Preston. In Litchfield county, some gusty winds and spotty power outages were reported with the storm.

A strong nor'easter developed off Cape Hatteras on November 16. The low pressure center then slowly moved north along the coast, reaching Cape Cod by late November 17. At the same time, a shallow layer of arctic air bled south from eastern Canada. This air was cold enough to produce a heavy wintery mix of precipitation during a good portion of the storm across Litchfield County. Generally speaking, 1-3 inches of snow fell as the precipitation arrived late on Saturday morning. As warmer air moved in aloft, the precipitation gradually changed to sleet, then an extended period of freezing rain. The freezing rain produced a buildup of ice between a half and one inch thick on many surfaces. Winds, frequently gusting to around 30 mph combined with the ice and residual leaves left on the trees, to bring many of them down. The ice and wind also brought down a number of power lines. The net result from this storm was one of the greatest power outages ever in Litchfield County. At one point, during the overnight hours of the 17th, well over 50 percent of customers in the county were without power! Many trees were uprooted and some roads were impassable due to the ice and downed debris. Surface temperatures finally rose above the freezing mark later on Sunday morning, thus ending additional icing. As colder air worked back in, some snow fell on the back side of the storm, but additional accumlations were fairly minor. Many businesses and schools were closed up to several days after the storm and it took the better part of a week to completely restore power.

During the afternoon of September 11, a steep gradient developed between a cool Canadian high pressure area over the Great Lakes, and a double barreled low pressure area, including the circulation from Hurricane Gustaf, off the mid Atlantic Coast. This scenario resulted in a high wind event across Litchfield County. Strong northwesterly wind gusts were clocked as high as 60 mph by a weather spotter in the town of Watertown. There were reports of some trees down and spotty power outages throughout the county.

A steep pressure gradient, between deepening low pressure over southern Canada and high pressure in the Ohio Valley, produced strong enough wind gusts to bring down some trees and power lines in Torrington, Litchfield County during the afternoon of October 17.

Just as northwest Connecticut had recovered from the big snowstorm, another nor'easter moved up the coast, forming off the New Jersey coast early on March 9th, and reaching Cape Cod shortly after midnight. This storm was not nearly as powerful as its predecessor, nor did it include as much moisture. Snowfall amounts were somewhat elevation dependent and the snow had a high moisture content. Accumulations ranged from about 4 to 8 inches in Litchfield County. Bakersville received the most in the county, with a storm total of 8.8 inches.

An area of low pressure developed across the Tennessee Valley late on December 11th. The storm then rapidly deepened as it moved northeast into the Ohio Valley, Saint Lawrence Valley and eventually across the Canadian Maritimes, on December 12th. The pressure difference between this intensifying storm and large arctic high pressure building over the Southeast, produced a significant high wind event across Litchfield county on December 12th. The strongest winds with the storm came after the passage of the cold front, during the morning hours. A strong westerly wind brought down large limbs, trees and powerlines across the entire county. The hardest hit areas were the cities of Bridgewater, Plymouth, Litchfield, Sharon and Washington. A TV tower was blown down in Litchfield. An estimated 1000 customers were temporarily without power in various parts of the county.

An area of low pressure developed over the Texas Panhandle on February 17. The low deepened and tapped into Gulf of Mexico moisture as it tracked northeast through the Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio valleys early on Feburary 18. The storm then moved across the Mason Dixon line early on Feburary 19 before heading out to sea. Northwest Connecticut remained in the cold portion of the system. Snow fell, then mixed with sleet and freezing rain, which held snow accumulations to the 3 to 6 inch range. However many areas received an additional coating of ice in excess of half an inch. No power outages or problems were reported to the National Weather Service.

A line of severe thunderstorms with damaging winds pushed through northwest Connecticut during the evening hours of March 7, 2022 resulting in numerous reports of downed trees and powerlines. Strong winds continued into the early hours of the 8th. Nearly 3,400 customers lost power as a result of the winds.

The continuation of a hot and humid air mass led to the development of a batch of showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon hours across northwestern Connecticut. Damaging wind gusts knocked down trees and power lines as a result.

Strong to severe thunderstorms developed during the afternoon hours of Tuesday, July 6th, 2021, as an upper level disturbance tracked through the region. Several downed trees and wires resulted from the strongest storms. More than 25,000 customers lost power.||Additionally, heat indices across southern Litchfield county exceeded 95 degrees during the afternoon hours.

A dynamic storm system brought severe thunderstorms and a tornado to northwest Connecticut on Wednesday, April 21st, 2021. An EF-0 tornado briefly touched down just north of Bulls Bridge, CT and moved east northeast into South Kent (Litchfield county), causing mainly tree damage. There were additional reports of downed trees and power lines across Litchfield county. As a result of the severe weather, about 5,000 people lost power.

A strong low pressure system to the west ushered in unseasonably warm and moist air to northwestern Connecticut on the 15th. A line of thunderstorms formed along an approaching cold front during the late evening hours, resulting in several reports of wind damage. A couple of short swaths of intense damage occurred resulting in numerous downed trees, likely from microbursts, around Roxbury, Harwinton, and Litchfield. Lingering power outages resulted in the closure of Litchfield schools the following day.

A pair of supercell thunderstorms tracked through Litchfield County along a warm front during the afternoon of the 27th. These storms resulted in numerous damage reports, especially in the area from Kent to Woodbury. Eighty percent of the town of Roxbury was without power as a result of the storms. In addition, two brief EF0 tornadoes occurred in Kent and Woodbury.

A strong warm front moving northeast across southern New England and an approaching short wave trough combined to produce three tornadoes in western Connecticut during the early evening hours of Sunday, August 2nd, 2020. The first tornado touched down near the town of Sharon, where there was damage to several greenhouses and multiple downed trees. The storm then tracked towards Falls Village where numerous trees were snapped and uprooted. The storm continued towards the town of Norfolk where most of the damage was done to trees and powerlines.

A complex winter storm brought a mix of rain, snow, sleet and freezing rain to the region from the evening of Sunday, December 29th, lingering through the morning of Tuesday, December 31st, 2019. Heavy accumulations of ice impacted portions of western Connecticut during this time frame. There were approximately 2,000 people without power due to a combination of icy conditions and strong winds bringing down trees and power lines. Additionally, two rounds of thunder and lightning occurred with this dynamic system, producing 1 inch hail in Colebrook, CT. A spotter reported nearly 0.3 of ice accumulation in several locations, mainly above 1300 feet in elevation.

A hot and humid air mass was in place across the region. This provided an unstable environment for strong to severe thunderstorms to form ahead of a cold front passage during the afternoon and evening hours of June 18th. The storms caused numerous trees and power lines to be knocked down.

Severe thunderstorms impacted portions of Litchfield County during the afternoon of May 15th. A supercell thunderstorm crossed northern portions of the county, resulting in hail up to two inches in diameter, two confirmed tornadoes, and straight-line wind damage. Later in the afternoon, a severe thunderstorm resulted in wind damage across far southern portions of the county. Numerous power outages and several road closures occurred as a result of the storms.

Scattered strong to severe thunderstorms developed over northwestern Connecticut during the afternoon hours on Wednesday, August 2, 2017. This was due to an upper level disturbance passing through the area. The severe weather knocked down numerous trees and power lines, produced large hail as well as isolated flash flooding in Litchfield county. Flash flooding occurred in the towns of Kent and Cornwall Center, with a report of a road being partially washed out. There was a maximum rainfall report of 3.03 inches in Kent from the storms.

A fast moving upper level shortwave passed through the area during the afternoon hours on Friday, June 30th, 2017. With a warm and muggy air mass in place, this shortwave sparked off numerous strong to severe thunderstorms, which caused damage to trees and power lines.

A cold front tracked east across northwestern Connecticut during the afternoon hours of Monday, June 19th, 2017. With a warm and unstable air mass in place, the frontal passage sparked numerous showers and thunderstorms across the area. Some of these thunderstorm were severe, knocking down trees and power lines.

May 18 was the second straight day of temperatures approaching or exceeding 90 degrees in Northwest Connecticut. The hot airmass, despite not being overly humid, provided an unstable environment conducive for thunderstorm development. Thunderstorms began to form in the early afternoon over western New York along a lake breeze boundary. These storms pushed into Northwest Connecticut shortly before midnight, resulting in reports of wind damage and scattered power outages.

A mild and humid air mass was in place over northwestern Connecticut during the early morning hours on Sunday, September 11th. A cold front was crossing through the region around sunrise and a potent line of thunderstorms accompanied the passage of this boundary. Some of these storms were severe, producing damaging winds to trees and power lines across northern parts of Litchfield County.

On the morning of Saturday, August 13th, a warm front lifted northward across the region. This allowed a very warm and excessively humid air mass to be in place over the area. As temperatures rose through the 80s and into the 90s, dewpoints were unusually high in the mid to upper 70s. By the afternoon hours, this produced heat index values over 100 degrees in many valley areas, with some spots in southern Litchfield County seeing heat index values over 105 degrees.||Ahead of an advancing cold front, an organized line of thunderstorms moved from west to east across all of eastern Upstate New York late in the day. This line of thunderstorms crossed northwestern Connecticut during the late evening hours, producing damaging winds.||In addition to the gusty winds, the thunderstorms also produced a significant amount of cloud-to-ground lightning. Numerous power outages were reported throughout the region. ||Thunderstorms ended with the passage of the cold front during the overnight hours.

A warm and unstable air mass was in place over northwestern Connecticut ahead of an advancing cold front on Monday, July 18th. Short lines of thunderstorms developed during the early afternoon hours and moved eastward across the region. Some of these thunderstorms became severe, producing damaging wind gusts to trees and power lines. Thunderstorms ended with the passage of the cold front during the evening hours.

A moist and unstable air mass ahead of an advancing cold front led to the developing of thunderstorms during the early afternoon hours on Tuesday, June 9th across eastern New York. As the thunderstorms organized into small lines, some of the thunderstorms produced wind damage, mainly to trees and power lines. These thunderstorms reached northwestern Connecticut by the mid afternoon hours and produced a report of wind damage in Torrington. ||Thunderstorms ended over the region by the late afternoon, as the cold front crossed the region from west to east.

Ahead of an approaching cold front, a warm and humid air mass was in place over northwestern Connecticut on Tuesday, May 19th. As the cold front approached during the early evening hours, a few scattered showers and thunderstorms developed and moved from west to east across the region. Some of the thunderstorms became severe, producing damaging winds to trees and power lines. In addition, two of the thunderstorms produced damaging lightning strikes as well. ||The threat for thunderstorms ended by the late evening hours, as the cold front passed through the region and drier air moved into the area.

Despite being behind a cold front, the region remained in a warm and humid air mass. This allowed the atmosphere to become quite unstable. ||As a cold front approached the region during the afternoon and early evening hours, clusters of thunderstorms developed across eastern upstate New York. These thunderstorms moved into northwestern Connecticut during the late evening hours and produced damaging winds, mainly to trees and power lines. ||The threat for storms ended as the storms moved eastward and the cold front moved across the area and into central New England for the overnight hours.

A warm and humid air mass was in place over the region on Thursday, July 3rd. As a strong cold front approached from the west, a broken line of thunderstorms developed over upstate New York and moved eastward during the late afternoon hours. Aided by powerful winds aloft, the storms moved from west to east over northwestern Connecticut during the early evening hours. A few of the storms produced strong winds, causing damage to trees and power lines. In addition, large hail occurred in some of the storms as well.||As the cold front moved through the area by later in the evening, the storms moved east of the region and the threat for severe weather ended.

An isolated thunderstorm moved southeast across Litchfield County Connecticut during the late afternoon and early evening hours on Tuesday, May 27th. The thunderstorm strengthened as it reached the southern portion of the county and produced a period of gusty winds, heavy rainfall and frequent cloud to ground lightning. The storm produced wind damage to trees and homes in the town of New Milford. Several roads were closed a result of downed trees and power lines. In addition, schools in New Milford were closed on Wednesday, May 28th due to the ongoing cleanup from the storm damage.||A National Weather Service Storm Survey determined that straight line winds produced winds up to 100 MPH with damage sporadic and intermittent along a 7 mile swath. Unfortunately, one person in New Milford died due to electrocution as a result of downed wires falling on a vehicle. Up to 13,000 people throughout the area lost power as a result of the thunderstorms.

A powerful storm system moved from the Great Lakes region towards southern Canada on the early morning of Friday, November 1st. As the storm's cold front moved across the region during the morning hours, a line of convective heavy rain showers and embedded thunderstorms and gusty winds accompained the boundary. Although the extent of thunder was rather limited, the line produced damaging winds to trees and power lines across portions of Litchfield County. The threat for severe thunderstorms ended by the late morning as the front pushed east of the area.

During the day on May 29th, a warm front lifted northward across northwestern Connecticut. Although the day began cloudy, some breaks of sun started to occur by early afternoon. At the same time, a potent upper level disturbance over Ontario started to approach the region and a strong jet streak was located just to the north. With a moist southerly flow moving into the region at the surface, it became rather humid as well.||With all these ingredients coming together, thunderstorms developed across upstate New York by mid afternoon and they began to spread eastward. The thunderstorms eventually organized into a few distinct squall lines. The lines of storms reached northwestern Connecticut by the evening hours and moved northwest to southeast across Litchfield County. Many of these storms produced wind damage, mainly to trees and power lines. In addition, these thunderstorms produced a significant amount of lightning, which in combination with the wind damage, led to some power outages across the area. One of the lightning strikes also caused a brief fire to a barn in Torringford.||Thunderstorms pushed east of the area by around midnight, ending the threat of severe weather.

A very warm and humid air mass was in place across northwestern Connecticut on Tuesday, May 21st. A slow moving frontal boundary was situated just north of the area across the Saint Lawrence River Valley along the United States-Canadian border. During the day, a wave of low pressure moved along this boundary, allowing the boundary to slowly push southward towards the area. With strong wind shear aloft and plenty of low level moisture in place, thunderstorms developed during the afternoon hours across eastern New York and moved towards western Connecticut by the early evening hours .||Thunderstorms initially formed as single cells and supercells, but eventually organized into several broken lines, which moved from west to east across the area. Many of these storms produced wind damage to trees and power lines. In addition, some thunderstorms produced hail, with hailstones as large as golf ball size.||As the surface wave of low pressure moved away and with the loss of daytime heating, thunderstorms eventually ended during the late evening hours.

A complex and powerful low pressure system moved across the region bringing damaging winds and widespread heavy rainfall. A low pressure system originating in the Deep South approached the region from the southwest during the day as a strong cold front approached from the Great Lakes region. These systems merged and moved across the northeastern United States. Moisture was transported into the region on a very strong low level jet. Rainfall totals ranged from just over an inch up to around 3 inches. Despite instability being very limited, the winds field was so strong aloft that showers and low-topped thunderstorms were able to transport strong, damaging winds to the surface, producing damage to trees and power lines.

A warm and moist southerly flow of air moved into the region in advance of a powerful cold front. The combination of partial sunshine, increasing amounts of instability and strong wind dynamics with this system placed the region into a rare Moderate Risk by the Storm Prediction Center. Several supercell thunderstorms developed earlier in the day in advance of the main squall line associated with the cold front with the potential for tornadoes, although none developed across the region. The main hazard was straight line damaging wind gusts from a squall line during the afternoon and early evening hours that resulted in numerous power outages and trees down across the area. The squall line moved east of the area later in the evening, ending the threat for severe weather.

Tropical Storm Irene tracked north northeast across eastern New York and western New England during Sunday, August 28th, producing widespread flooding, and damaging winds across the region. ||Irene tracked from a position over New York City around 8 AM EST Sunday, to approximately 10 miles west of Danbury, CT at 10 AM EST, to approximately 15 miles south of Pittsfield, MA at 1 PM EST Sunday, to approximately 65 miles south of Rutland, VT at 4 PM EST. ||The greatest impact from Irene across Litchfield County was due to heavy to extreme rainfall, which resulted in widespread flash flooding. Rainfall amounts generally averaged 5 to 10 inches. Much of the rain which fell occurred within a 12 hour period, beginning early Sunday morning, and ending Sunday evening. ||This heavy to extreme rainfall resulted in widespread flash flooding and river flooding across Litchfield County. Numerous road closures were reported due to flooding and downed trees and power lines, along with some evacuations. In addition, moderate flooding was reported on the Housatonic River at Falls Village and at Gaylordsville. The Gaylordsville gage was damaged by flood waters.||Strong winds also occurred across Litchfield County, with frequent wind gusts of 35 to 55 mph, along with locally stronger wind gusts exceeding 60 mph. The strongest winds occurred from the north to northeast during the morning hours, then from the west to northwest during Sunday evening. The combination of strong winds, and extremely saturated soil led to numerous downed trees and power lines across the region. This also resulted in widespread long duration power outages. ||In particular, the approximate number of customers affected by power outages included: Litchfield County, 25000.||On September 2nd, 2011 a Major Disaster Declaration was declared, FEMA-4023-DR. This declaration made Individual Assistance and Public Assistance available to all 8 counties in the state of Connecticut. In addition, the declaration made Hazard Mitigation Grant Program assistance available. ||Individual Assistance: assistance to individuals and households. Public Assistance: assistance to state and local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations for emergency work and repair or replacement if disaster-damaged facilities.

A significant severe weather event occurred across east central New York and adjacent western New England, including Litchfield County on Thursday June 9th. A very warm and humid air mass was in place across the region on the morning of June 9th. A cold front was positioned well to the north and west of the region, toward the Upper Great Lakes. However, a well-defined pre-frontal trough marched across Litchfield County late in the afternoon. This pre-frontal trough showed up well in observational data, with an abrupt wind shift to the northwest and a sharp drop in dew points. The pre-frontal trough triggered convection, first as a series of discrete storms developing into a broken line, which eventually evolved into an organized line of severe storms known as a severe quasi-linear-convective-system, QLCS. Initially when the storms were discrete, hail was the main threat. Once the QLCS developed, damaging winds were the main threat. The severe storms resulted in numerous power outages with the large hail denting vehicles.

On July 22, a cold front trailing southwestward through the St Lawrence Valley from a low pressure center off the Canadian maritime provinces moved through Litchfield County during the evening. It reached the Atlantic coast just before midnight. The cold front moved through an unstable air mass touching off evening thunderstorms. One thunderstorm produced wind gusts that blew down several trees in the town of Cornwall. No damage to structures or loss of power was reported.

A strong cold front produced a line of showers and thunderstorms across northwestern Connecticut during the morning of September 23. One of the storms became severe as it moved across Litchfield County. Thunderstorm winds brought down numerous trees and power lines on Whitehollow Road in the town of Salisbury. About twenty minutes later, more powerlines were knocked down on Baldwin Hill Road in the town of Washington.

A cold front, working southeast across the Empire State, triggered scattered thunderstorms across Litchfield County during the early afternoon of July 23. Since the air mass ahead of the front was hot and humid, and winds aloft rather strong, two of the storms became severe. Thunderstorm winds knocked down many trees and wires in the town of Salisbury. On of the trees fell onto a store selling antiques, causing minimal damage to that structure. Another tree fell on a car, partially crushing it. Later, a few trees were also blown down by a seperate storm in the town of New Milford. The storms temporarily knocked out power to about 1,000 customers in northwest Connecticut.

During Friday afternoon and early evening of May 31, a strong cold front clashed with a very unstable air mass across northwestern Connecticut. In addition, there were strong divergent winds aloft. All of these parameters set the stage for severe weather in Litchfield County. Most of the reports included large hail. Dime-size hail was reported at Goshen, Bakersville, Cornwall and in a later storm, at Morris. A few minutes after the report of dime-size hail in Bakersville, one inch hail was reported. One inch hail, along with some wind damage to trees and power lines, took place in the city of Torrington. Two inch diamter hail fell at Thomaston. Trees were blown down in the town of Canaan. The storms knocked out power to about 37,000 Connecticut Light and Power customers, 3,300 of those in the town of Litchfield.

A powerful cold front, combined with a strong upper level disturbance to produce widespread thunderstorms across Litchfield County during the afternoon of July 1. One of the storms spawned a gale (F0) Tornado, with estimated winds between 40 and 74 mph, the third to touch down in Litchfield County in less than 10 days! A discontinous path of 10 miles began along Route 37, near the Sherman/New Milford border, and headed east to Painter Hill, in Roxbury. There were seven distinct brief touchdowns. The damage was mainly snapped trees and limbs, with one tree as thick as 14 inch inch in diameter snapped 20 feet off the ground. There were no injuries or fatalities reported to the National Weather Service with this tornado. Thunderstorm winds also knocked down trees in the town of Harwinton.

A warm front, moving into Connecticut, produced a line of showers and isolated thunderstorms during the early afternoon of June 23. One cell developed into a supercell which then spawned two tornados in Litchfield County. The first tornado touched down in the northern end of the town of Washington, on a golf course near Lake Waramaug, cutting a path 50 yards wide and a mile in length. It hit during a lull of a golf tornament that was going on there, damaging the fourth hole of the course as well as destroying a metal fence around a tennis court. This tornado also demolished a storage building. This was ranked as an F1 Tornado, with winds estimated between 75 and 100 mph, by National Weather Service Personnel. The tornado also took out many trees around this area. The tornado lifted back up, but then reformed from the cell as the storm moved into the cities of Torrington and Winstead. This second tornado was ranked on the Fujita scale as an F2 with winds estimated between 100 and 130 mph. It touched down near the Torrington Middle School, over the Midget Football Field cutting a swath two hundred yards wide and a half a mile in length. The tornado destroyed an 8,000 dollar shed that had recently been completed by the Midget Football League. The second twister also demolished the bleachers and part of a roof at the Torrington Middle school. In addition, hundreds of large trees were uprooted. Powerlines were also destroyed. One person was injured when a portion of the blown off roof fell on him, resulting in bone fractures.

A complex storm system began to evolve on Saturday December 16 across the Mississippi Valley. A surface low tracked north into the eastern Great Lakes by December 17. At the same time, the associated upper level trough became negatively tilted as it moved toward the northeast on Sunday. This allowed for rapid cyclogenesis. Unseasonably warm and moist air was transported northward from the Gulf of Mexico. This scenario brought a record breaking rainstorm to Litchfield County. There were very strong winds aloft which were able to be transported down to produce a brief localized high wind event. Trees were reported down in the town of Bethlehem. Power outages were reported there, and at other places in the county. The bigger problem was the heavy rainfall. Rainfall amounts were in the 2 to 4 inch range, with Bakersville specifically receiving 2.75 and Colebrook 3.50 inches respectively. The bulk of the rainfall was in a short interval of time, with some localites receiving an inch per hour. The excessive rainfall combined with melting snow and frozen ground, to produce massive runoff. In Torrington, street flooding was reported, and construction equiment washed downstream on the Naugatuck River. Widespread street flooding was also reported in Litchfield. The Housatonic River slightly exceeded its 8-foot flood stage at Gaylordsville and the 11-foot flood stage at Stevenson.

A powerful cold front moved across Litchfield County late on Friday June 2. The air mass was very unstable ahead of the front. A very strong jet stream aloft moved ahead of it. The combination of the extremely volatile air and the strong wind aloft, generated severe weather in northwest Connecticut. Trees and power lines were blown down in the towns of New Preston , Winsted and especially Riverton. A microburst blew down many trees in a line from Winsted to Riverton. Dime to nickle size hail fell in Canaan and Winsted with these storms.

A strong cold front crossed northwestern Connecticut late on May 18. At the same time, very strong winds aloft moved over the area. The combination of the instability and lift ahead of the front spawned a line of thunderstorms. A couple of the thunderstorm cells tapped into the strong wind aloft to produce locally severe weather in Litchfield county. Wind gusts from seperate thunderstorms downed trees in New Milford during the late afternoon, and early evening. A wind gust was clocked at 59 mph in Washington. Large trees and power lines were brought down in Litchfield.