Counting Down Connecticut's Top 10 Storms Part III
Which 10 storms were the worst over the last 100 years? Share your storie below
By RYAN HANRAHAN
Updated 5:28 PM EST, Fri, May 8, 2009
Storm #6 - 1989 Tornado Outbreak - July 10th, 1989
Here are the facts:
- Three seperate tornado touchdowns
- Worst of the damage in Hamden rated an F4
- Nearly 200 injuries with 1 death
An unusual set of conditions came together to produce one of the biggest and most violent tornado outbreaks ever in Connecticut and surrounding states. Seventeen seperate tornadoes touched down in New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Jersey. Of those tornadoes, 2 were rated as an F4 on the fujita scale (on a scale from F0 to F5) which is exceptionally rare in this area.
In Connecticut, one supercell thunderstorm produced several tornadoes as the storm moved southeast across the state. The first tornado touched down at 4:40 p.m. on Mohawk Mountain in Cornwall. Chairlifts and structures were destroyed on the ski mountain along with one of the largest stands of white pines and hemlocks east of the Mississippi.
The tornado moved south through the village of Milton and borough of Bantam in the town of Litchfield destroying trees, homes, churches, and stores. The post office in Bantam was ruined as well as a gas station before the storm moved south into Morris before dissipating. The first touchdown produced damage that was ranked as an F2 (winds between 113 mph and 157 mph) in Litchfield county. The tornado was on the ground for a remarkable 10 miles which is unusually long for the midwest and is almost unheard of in New England.
The tornado lifted up briefly before touching down again in Watertown and part of Waterbury at 5:15 p.m. The second tornado was on the ground for 5 miles and resulted in 70 injuries and millions in damage. A 12 year old girl was killed by falling trees in Black Rock State Park as the tornado moved through.
The most violent tornado touchdown was in Hamden and New Haven. The last tornado touchdown started in Hamden at 5:45 p.m. and moved southeast through New Haven and parts of East Haven. The storm damaged 400 homes and businesses in Hamden, some of which were completely destroyed. Winds were between 207 and 260 m.p.h. in what is believed to be one of the strongest tornadoes to ever hit Connecticut. Over 100 were injured when the storm struck, some critically. Thousands of pine trees around Lake Saltonstall were snapped by the tornado leaving the scent of pine in the air for days as people drove across the Lake Saltonstall Bridge on the Connecticut Turnpike.
The tornado outbreak that summer afternoon in 1989 is a good reminder that long lasting and violent tornadoes aren't only found in the midwest but they can happen here in Connecticut as well.
More Information
2008 New York Times Article on Mohawk Mountain
1989 New York Times Article on Bantam Recovery
Storm #5 - 1979 Windsor Locks Tornado - October 3, 1979
Here are the facts:
- Tornado was on thr ground for 11 miles
- Tornado did $442 million in damage (adjusted to 1997 dollars)
- Ranked as 6th most costly tornado in United States ever
- Tornado was classified as F4
October isn't known for its severe weather in Connecticut. In fact, snow flakes in October are more common than tornadoes. But one of the most damaging tornadoes to ever hit the United States did so on October 3rd, 1979 in one of the most peculiar weather setups of the century.
October 3rd was a humid and cloudy day across the state. It wasn't hot and it wasn't hazy which is typical on Connecticut severe weather days and the last thing residents were expecting was a tornado. A cluster of thunderstorms moving from south to north (which is exceptionally unusual for a severe thunderstorm) spawned a tornado in the Poquonock section of Windsor along Route 75. The tornado destroyed homes, a church, and a school in Poquonock with a few blocks of Poquonock Avenue. The strongest part of the tornado was here in Windsor where some homes were wiped clear off their foundation. Such damage is indicative of winds in excess of 200 m.p.h.
The storm left suburban Windsor and headed north towardd the congested Route 75/Route 20 interchange near Bradley Airport in Windsor Locks. Aircraft at the New England Air Museum were destroyed by the tornado along with some private aircraft at Bradley Field. The damage to airplanes and the commercial zone along Route 75 did hundreds of millions of dollars in damage and to this date is the 6th costliest tornado to ever hit the U.S. The damage to aircraft around Bradley Airport indicates the tornado was still unusually strong as it moved through Windsor Locks and eventually suffield. Some of the planes that were tossed by the wind may have weighed in excess of 25,000 pounds indicating the tornado was still producing destructive winds as the storm moved past the airport.
People on Route 75 near the airport witnessed falling trees, signs, roofs, and even airplanes being picked up and thrown large distances in front of their very eyes. The tornado destroyed the plane that was on display outside of the Ramada Inn on route 75 along with the sign in front of the Ramada Inn. Some who lived through the storm describe their cars being picked up, moved, and turned around by the incredible wind. The tornado injured 500 people and killed three with winds of between 207 m.p.h. and 260 m.p.h.
More Information
New England Air Museum Web Page
Pictures from Windsor Locks Fire Department
How did we decide the rankings for these 2 storms?
Deciding which tornado to rank higher than the other was the most difficult decision we made putting together this list. Although the 1989 tornado outbreak produced 3 seperate tornadoes and impacted more towns than the Windsor Locks storm, we decided to rank the 1979 storm higher. There are several resons for this
- The 1979 tornado was produced from a freak meteorological setup. No strong (F2 or greater) tornado in New England has ever been spawned from a weather system like this. The storm moved in a bizarre direction for a strong tornado in New England (due north) and the storm occured in October (tornadoes are extremely rare in October, there have only been 6).
- The 1979 storm produced more damage. Most of the damage from a monetary perspective was done near Bradley Airport where high value aircraft were destroyed. In fact, to this date, the storm is listed as the 6th more damaging tornado ever to hit the United States. This was more a function of where the tornado hit than the storm's strength, however.
- There is some evidence that the 1979 F4 tornado was stronger than the 1989 Hamden F4 tornado. Reports from the '79 storm indicate that several homes on Poquonock Ave. in Windsor were completely swept off their foundation indicating exceptionally strong winds (high F4 damage), something that did not happen in Hamden (most of the damage was F2/F3).
- The 1979 tornado killed and injured more (3, and 500, respetively) than the Hamden storm. One possible reason for this is the Windsor Locks storm struck without warning while the Hamden storm did come with warning.
This is the third in a series of stories on the top 10 storms in the past 100 years.
Click here for the next story (storm #4 and #3)-->
First Published: May 3, 2009 5:33 PM EST
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