The National Weather Service has published fresh information on each of the tornadoes that struck Connecticut on Saturday.
CONNECTICUT — The National Weather Service validated what Connecticut’s top meteorologists reported on Saturday, namely that many tornadoes touched down across the state.
On Saturday afternoon, the strongest tornado to hit Connecticut was reported near Stonington, with 90 mph winds. Branford had the greatest wind gusts, with 85 mph gusts, and Cheshire had 75 mph gusts.
On late Sunday, the National Weather Service reported that a fourth tornado had touched down near Plainfield, Connecticut on Saturday.
Details on the tornado near Stonington may be found on the weather service’s website.
The tornado made its way from Stonington to Westerly, Rhode Island. At 4:54 p.m., the tornado struck and lasted until 5 p.m. It was an EF-1 tornado, which meant maximum wind gusts of up to 90 miles per hour. The tornado travelled 1.35 miles and caused no casualties.
“A tornado struck Robinson Street in the Pawcatuck section of Stonington, Connecticut, at around 4:54 p.m. est on Saturday, November 13th, 2021. A number of hardwood trees were uprooted or broken halfway up their trunks. One home’s gutter was taken off, while another’s shutters were ripped off.
“Several trampolines were raised, with one being trapped around 20 feet in the air on a powerline. A metal shed was lifted and flipped on Robinson Street, Crossroad Race Street, before being crushed by a big maple branch with a diameter of around 15 inches.
“At the base of several street signs were also snapped. The tornado then proceeded northeast through Westerly, Rhode Island, crossing Route 78 into Center Street, uprooting around 20 large, healthy hardwood trees. A wooden outbuilding was also turned upside down. The tornado subsequently crossed Hillview Drive before lifting at 5:00 p.m. eastern time.”
Details about the Branford tornado may be found on the weather service.
An EFO tornado touched down in Branford at 3:44 p.m. and lasted until 3:46 p.m. Saturday, according to the National Weather Service survey team. The tornado’s greatest wind gusts were 85 mph, and it went approximately 2 miles. Nobody was harmed.
“A 25-yard wide tornado path began at Pine Orchard and Oak Hollow roads and proceeded northeast…”
The damage route stretched to 300 yards at The Francis Walsh Intermediate School field, where multiple light tower generators were all fallen by straight line winds, with uprooted hardwood trees providing signs of a convergent damage pattern…
“While the eastern 100 yards of this area along Sunset Hill Drive showed a convergent damage pattern, the tornado continued on toward the top of Whiting Hill Road, where the path narrowed to about 75 yards and the most intense damage occurred where some pine trees in a loop at the top of the road were snapped in half.”
“The damage path continued northeast to Gould Road, where the tornado seemed to lift just before hitting the Governor John Davis Lodge turnpike,” according to the report.
In Cheshire, a tornado has been verified
According to Town Manager Sean Kimball, the National Weather Service verified that a tornado hit Cheshire on Saturday afternoon. On Sunday afternoon, authorities accompanied a National Weather Service representative on a damage tour of Cheshire, according to Kimball.
In a tweet, Kimball said, “They’ve confirmed an EF-0 tornado touched down at 3:30pm yesterday at Higgins/Mountain Rd and continued NE through the middle of town finishing around Country Club Rd.”
Details about the Plainfield tornado may be found on the weather service’s website.
The tornado struck at 4:48 p.m. and lasted until 5:02 p.m., with speeds reaching 80 mph. In Rhode Island, the tornado went 6.1 miles.
“We affirm that an EF-0 tornado touched down near Plainfield, Connecticut at about 4:48 PM EST on Saturday, November 13th, 2021, based on conclusive radar confirmation of a tornado debris signature and video evidence from our media partners.”
“Several hardwood trees were uprooted on a hilltop near Goshen Rd on Sterling Hill Rd. The tornado then continued northeast into Rhode Island, where it made sporadic ground contact for 6 miles until stopping at the Cucumber Hill Farm in Foster, Rhode Island, at around 5:02 p.m. On the property, there were sheared trees and felled hardwood trees. A massive, hefty red trailer was also dragged around 50 feet.”
