A tornado tore through the area of Windsor Locks and East Windsor Monday afternoon, bringing down trees and power lines, scattering tobacco netting, pulling the Sports World dome out of the ground and removing siding from houses.
The EF1-category twister could have reached a maximum wind speed of 86 mph. According to the National Weather Service, the tornado was up to 200 yards wide and traveled 2.5 miles between 1:30 and 1:45 p.m.
Damage was concentrated in the area of East Windsor and Windsor Locks.
East Windsor
Multiple lanes of traffic on I-91 southbound were closed near exits 44 and 45 in East Windsor after debris from the Sports World dome on Main Street blew onto the highway, authorities said.
One viewer said he was driving home from work when he saw the dome fly across the interstate.
Camp was underway at Sports World with the tornado struck. Counselors received tornado warnings on their phones and moved the campers to safety just moments before the storm hit and swept away the dome, eyewitnesses said.
Also in East Windsor, a tractor-trailer rolled over in the Walmart parking lot on Prospect Hill Road. Police worked to free the driver, who was still inside when the truck toppled.
Windsor Locks
In Windsor Locks, two transformers went down and multiple trees fell, according to First Selectman Steven Wawruck. Damaged tobacco netting left a trail of debris throughout the area.
"I have a tree that's around my boat right now," said Windsor Locks resident Peter Devine.
The four-way intersection of Reed Avenue and Sadler Street flooded Monday afternoon, and the area of South Center Street was closed indefinitely due to heavy storm damage.
Police and fire officials were standing guard to keep the area off limits. Electricity has been shut off in some sections until cleanup efforts are complete.
Strong winds tore metal roofing off a vacant warehouse building on Hayden Station Road. The roofing was flung into a back parking lot and nearby woods.
Connecticut Light & Power reported 2,414 outages statewide, 806 of which were concentrated in Windsor Locks.
The utility company is asking people to stay away from tobacco netting whipped around by the storms and draped across power lines, which can be very dangerous.
Gov. Dannel Malloy and state emergency response officials were continuing to monitor the situation Monday afternoon.
Malloy said he has spoken via telephone with Wawruck and East Windsor First Selectman Denise Menard to discuss resource coordination and recovery.
Fairfield County
Earlier on Monday, heavy storms prompted a tornado warning for lower into central Fairfield County.
That storm flooded streets and downed power lines in Ridgefield, according to emergency officials. It swept through lower Connecticut from Greenwich to Redding, where CL&P reported scattered outages are affecting nearly 650 homes, including around 350 in Wilton.
Flash flood watches remain in effect for Fairfield, Hartford and Litchfield counties through Tuesday morning.
Fortunately, no storm-related injuries have been reported.
If you see severe weather, send your photos to photos@nbcconnecticut.com.
Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut
