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Tornado in Fairfield County(?)


by Chris MC


August 8th, 2008 · 19 Comments

Around six o’clock last night traffic northbound on the Merritt in Norwalk slowed to about 30 mph, not so much because of the usual evening volume, but to marvel at a spectacular sight aloft - a roiling, purplish cloud bank featuring frequent lighting bolts that was compact enough that it seemed you could almost see the edges of it on three sides.

Shortly thereafter I heard - for the first time in my memory - the emergency broadcast system tones interrupt the radio program I was listening to to warn of a potential tornado in Fairfield County. I’ve tried searching for information, but all I’ve found was a bit that it may have touched down briefly in Bridgeport. There is a report with some comments about heavy rain, wind, and hail and power outages in Bridgeport and environs in the Connecticut Post. Anybody got anything else?

Open thread.

Tags: Chris MC · In the News

19 Responses so far “Tornado in Fairfield County(?)”



  • 1 Anonymous // Aug 8, 2008 at 1:15 pm

    Turfie: Last night was Thursday!

  • 2 Chris MC // Aug 8, 2008 at 1:25 pm

    Right. Fixed. Thanks.
  • 3 Anonymous // Aug 8, 2008 at 2:25 pm

    Check out www.milforddailyblog.com to see video of a funnel cloud touching down just off the beach in Milford, CT.

  • 4 Norwalk // Aug 8, 2008 at 2:38 pm

    We got two more storms in Norwalk…one just before 8 p.m. and another around 8:45 or 9. The second brought hale, the size of marbles.
    We have no cable, no internet, no phone.

  • 5 chicken little // Aug 8, 2008 at 3:01 pm

    In case it ever happens go to this site for info I couldn’t find anything in Norwalk

    http://www.fdfairfield.com/emergency_preparedness.htm

    This gives you some idea of the 63 tornados we did have since 1950.

    http://www.disastercenter.com/conn/tornado.html

    I’m still disapointed all other emrgency managemnet agencies including cities and towns were activated while we heard nothing from Norwalk.Where we may be hit again today even high winds while the DPW goes home for the weekend would show still poor planning.

    With thousands of customers out yesterday and last night most of our emergency workers in Norwalk couldn’t understand why it was taking so long for power companies to come to Norwlak for a couple of limbs.

    Communication people we simply don’t have it at city hall police or fire at times and its not right.

    No one ever said scare the hell out of people but reading the blog we could of used a warning who knew? The blog could of been, as radio and news outlest could of been used for boaters and swimmers and all others outside not realy knowing what went on.

    Great call back system we have ,do we now need someone to push a button for a simple warning?

    Was it so simple was it just a half fact?

    Mr G

  • 6 Anonymous // Aug 8, 2008 at 4:44 pm

    May I add The Advocate ran the warning early thursday before anyone else on their web site they launched the news report within minutes of the federal warnings.They are at least in step with the city and its residents.Cutting edge news delivery or just luck they had it for us all to see.

  • 7 Anonymous // Aug 8, 2008 at 5:36 pm

    Norwalk’s not important enough for a tornado strike, and The Dick knows that. So we’ll probably get to hear how much taxpayer money was saved by not implementing the call warning system, right?

  • 8 Anonymous // Aug 8, 2008 at 7:29 pm

    I thought for the price and the grants we had unlimited calling for at least a year with this 911 system am I wrong?

  • 9 Anonymous // Aug 9, 2008 at 1:45 am

    If that is a video of a tornado, I want some of what those guys were smoking. Miles away, no green sky, no tornado in my vision.

  • 10 Anonymous // Aug 9, 2008 at 9:41 am

    What makes you think the sky has to be “green” to have a tornado? Apparently you haven’t seen any video of major tornadoes in the last 30 years. Most of those show GREY or BLACK skies. “Green” is just one of any number of colors that can be apparent in a tornado-producing mesocyclone cell - including WHITE.

  • 11 Anonymous // Aug 9, 2008 at 10:38 am

    Video is video and something you’ve watched from a distance. It doesn’t show the calm before the storm, when, historically, the sky turns green, much like a hurricane.

    What makes me think the sky turns green are the two tornados I’ve witnessed with the naked eye: 1995, watching everthing in a 50 yard path but the pavement get ripped out by the roots right here in CT; 1976, watching a gas station levitate across from the HoJo’s we were hiding at in Illinois.

  • 12 Anonymous // Aug 9, 2008 at 11:44 am

    All I know is I don’t want my kids to ignore the warning signs,and all I want is the city to do what they promised warn us not scare us, simply tell us what they know.In light of how our city runs we may never be told the truth not even on the weather how sad.I trust somewhere someone dropped the ball now who makes sure there isn’t a next time it happens again?

    I read on the WTNH website a woman in Fairfeild that was instructed to tune it took her kids to the basement and played cards,she never thought twice and didn’t call her city fools for warning her.

    A woman and her infant was trapped in car under water and saved she didn’t care tornado or not her infant could of been killed another wtnh story.

    I’m sure some in Norwalk are not finding the fact we were not notified after we were left to feel safe the new system was in place disapointed ,maybe complaints to the grant givers will give us peace of mind.

    Who paid for the 911 system?

  • 13 Chris MC // Aug 9, 2008 at 1:55 pm

    They may not have been related, but I believe there was a meso-cyclone off the southern coast of Long Island earlier that afternoon, and I think a waterspout. I can’t do the fishing around right now, but maybe somebody can google that - would have been around MacArthur (sp?) airport maybe or Montauk…?
  • 14 Anonymous // Aug 9, 2008 at 2:10 pm

    Thanks Chris its all relevant,I wonder if global warmer is kicking these things closer north,I’d hate to think it would be the norm. With what little boat traffic there is from fuel prices one thing we can’t afford more damage to our boating industry which brings tourism in from that entity.

  • 15 Anonymous // Aug 9, 2008 at 3:58 pm

    A couple of tornadoes would do a world of good up here in Fairfield County, especially if they target the slum areas and projects, since we don’t have much in the way of trailer parks here. Talk about urban renewal!

  • 16 Anonymous // Aug 10, 2008 at 11:14 am

    Talk to your God. The Republicans seem to think that their own personal deity will make sure they get things done their way, but don’t seem to have learned anything after Katrina.

    Houston is still feeling the blowback from Georgie’s handling of the disaster. Ironic justice, if you ask me..

  • 17 Anonymous // Aug 10, 2008 at 11:59 am

    #16 so now we will get how great our 911 system is who put it place and who is the hero.But who did pay for it federal grants?

    Still complain to the purse holder then maybe our city will come up with a plan so far some of the emergencies that have come up have been handled poorly this was not the first.

  • 18 Anonymous // Aug 10, 2008 at 8:19 pm

    Anon #16, I don’t believe in fairy tales (god) and Katrina would have happend regardless of who was in the White House. I don’t really think that you are stupid enough to believe that GWB actually went down there and personally poked holes in those levees. Or are you?

  • 19 Anonymous // Aug 10, 2008 at 9:49 pm

    Nah, he just threw in a line to see what he could pull out after the levees came down.

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