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It’s Saturday afternoon. I’m busy doing the usual weekend house “stuff”, while on TV a college football game is blaring to keep me company. All is well until a very loud siren comes thru the house (I wasn’t even sure it had come from the TV). It’s the weather service’s severe thunderstorm and tornado watch happening in our area. I have to admit that it scared the heck out of me (the siren, not the bad weather watch)…Since living in CT, I have gotten used to these weather alerts.

“Although historically Connecticut is not typically known to fall casualty to tornadoes, more than 100 of these powerful storms have affected the state in modern history, resulting in at least 48 deaths, 780 injuries, and more than $500 million in damage. Hartford County has had the most tornadoes in the state, although since 1950 Litchfield County has reported the most tornadoes. Several areas have been struck more than once, and Waterbury has been struck by no less than four tornadoes since 1955. From 1953 to 1991, Connecticut recorded an average of about 1.3 tornadoes per year, ranked 43rd in the United States. Although Connecticut tornadoes are typically weak, isolated events can be violent. The 1878 Wallingford tornado killed at least 29 and likely 34 people; the most by any tornado event in Connecticut history. Listed in the historical records on June 14, 1648: A “great tempest” downed trees somewhere in present-day Hartford County.” [Wikipedia]

Back to present day  – on Saturday (September Eighth) the tornado barreled across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic as a powerful cold front brought heavy rain, high winds and at least one tornado into a beachfront neighborhood of New York City. Winds up to 110 mph came onshore and turned into a tornado touching down in Queens. This twister was spiraling a mixture of sand and debris, which was largely flung onto a nearby baseball field. It knocked down trees and power lines, causing minor structural damage to nearby buildings. A second confirmed tornado came down in Brooklyn, according to the weather service. Luckily no one was killed or injured.

Not sure what to do in case of a Tornado? Here a quick reminder:  go to interior rooms and halls on the lowest floor. Stay away from glass enclosed places or areas with wide-span roofs such as auditoriums, theaters, and warehouses. Crouch down and cover your head. A corner would be safer than the middle of the wall. A bathroom, closet, office, or maintenance room with short walls would be the safest area, especially if it was on the north or east side of the building. Go to Tornado Emergency to learn more. Stay safe CT!

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