After Storm, Wind, Flood Alert

Outages Hit Thousands; Connecticut River To Crest Sunday

Strong winds followed torrential rain on Saturday, knocking down trees and limbs and cutting power to thousands of people across the state. After the threat of wind, forecasters are warning of potential flooding Sunday along the Connecticut River.

A falling tree reportedly hit a car in Newington on Saturday afternoon. Emergency crews extricated one person from the car, while the other was able to get out, police said. One person was taken to the hospital.

The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for the Connecticut River at Enfield and the Farmington River at Simsbury, saying the rivers will reach flood stage late Saturday night and crest early Sunday morning before dropping back below flood stage late Sunday. The warning for the Farmington River was can- celed Saturday night.

Eversource reported more than 8,000 people without power statewide at its peak Saturday; more than 1,300 customers lost power in Montville alone. The outages began to drop by late in the evening, falling below 1,000 by 11 p.m.

Officials in Montville, where more than 1,000 people lost power during the day, said that a number of trees had fallen, knocking down power lines. Almost all power in town was restored by 11 p.m.

The weather service issued its wind advisory alert early Saturday, warning that gusts would continue into the evening. “Damaging winds will blow down trees and power lines,” the alert said. “Travel will be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles.”

Gary Lessor, chief meteorologist at the Western Connecticut State University Weather Center, said rainfall totals were as high as 3.12 inches in Stafford Springs, 2.93 inches in Bloomfield, 2.92 inches in East Granby and 2.91 inches in West Hartford. The wind gusted to 47 mph at Lighthouse Point in New Haven, 46 mph in Groton, 45 mph in Bridgeport and 40 mph at Bradley International Airport, he said.

“Over the past 24 hours, 2 to 4 inches have fallen in the upper portions of the Connecticut river basin and will continue to flow downstream over the next 24 hours,” the weather service said. “This will lead to a gradual rise in the Connecticut River during this period.”

At 10:31 a.m. Saturday, the north branch of the Park River in Hartford saw minor flooding, but dropped below flood stage over the next few hours.

Sunday should be sunny, with a high in the lower 50s, Lessor said, but clear weather will give way to storms again from Monday through to Wednesday.