Tornadoes hit N. Stonington, Stonington and Fishers Island
No one reported injured as damage is confined to trees and power lines
The National Weather Service confirmed Monday that tornadoes touched down in both the North Stonington/Stonington area and on Fishers Island, uprooting trees and downing power lines.
The most severe damage occurred shortly before 8 a.m. as a severe thunderstorm rolled through southeastern Connecticut with strong winds and heavy rain. The winds toppled trees in the area of Route 184 between Routes 2 and 49 in North Stonington, which was closed for most of the day because of downed power lines.
Eversource reported 847 customer outages in North Stonington after the storm, though power was restored by later in the morning.
North Stonington First Selectman Mike Urgo said most of the damage was east of Mystic Pizza II and was contained to a very concentrated area. There were no injuries and no homes reported damaged, though several homeowners likely awoke to find large trees downed on their property, he said.
“It was bad but it was quick,” Urgo said. “We were fortunate to have no homes damaged or any injuries.”
The tornado had a width of 100
yards and a path of 2.3 miles, first touching down on North Anguilla Road, just south of Miner Pentway in Stonington, the National Weather Service reported. The tornado uprooted numerous trees and ended its path of destruction on Route 49, near Babcock Road in North Stonington.
Trees were downed in a convergent pattern, consistent with a tornado. The tornadoes were listed as EF-0 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, according to the National Weather Service. That means their estimated wind speeds were between 65 and 85 mph.
On Fishers Island, after the tornado touched down at 7:35 a.m., the National Weather Service reported downed trees, power lines and in some cases winds that ripped small buildings from their foundations.
More details on the extent of the Fishers Island tornado are to be released Tuesday after a team from the National Weather Service conducts an on-site survey. Fishers Island is located in Suffolk County, N.Y.
Western Connecticut State University meteorologist Gary Lessor said while they are a rare sight in Conecticut, tornadoes in the tri-state area seem to be becoming a more frequent occurrence of late.
“It’s been an extremely active year,” Lessor said. “We’re seeing innumerable numbers of tornadoes. Its seems like every time there is a thunderstorm there is a tornado.”
Lessor said the cause for the increase in tornado activity is likely to be the subject of further research.
There is another chance for thunderstorms in the state on Friday.