UPDATE: Those clouds rolling through the Valley Friday were not your typical summer thunderstorms, officials said Saturday.
The National Weather Service confirmed Saturday afternoon that a tornado touched down Friday.
The tornado touched down at 3:56 p.m. with wind speeds between 95 to 100 mph.
It had a maximum path of 100 yards and a total path of one-half mile, according to the Weather Service.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE STATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
The funnel cloud “cut a 100-yard swath through a half-mile area of the Pine Rock Park neighborhood,” according to a story posted this evening on Courant.com.
“The estimated wind speed was between 95-105 miles per hour. It left a destructive half mile path along the Yutaka Trail near Kanungum Trail and Agawam Trail to Long HIll Avenue near Pochong Trail. The most concentrated damage was along the Orongue Trail, where many trees were blown down.”
Here is the story we posted Friday, immediately after the storm:
A severe thunderstorm Friday afternoon triggered a tornado warning, flooded roads and downed power lines throughout the lower Valley.
Click here for a map of weather-related incidents.
Traffic lights in Derby and Ansonia were without electricity during the afternoon rush hour.
Tree limbs buried a car in the parking lot of a golf range on River Road in Shelton.
Live wires scorched the ground on Prindle Avenue in Ansonia.
Emergency crews in Ansonia received a report of a possible electrocution. Luckily, it was a false report, firefighters reported.
Several weather-related car crashes were reported, including a rollover that shut Route 67 in Oxford at about 6 p.m.
The mass of storm clouds moved into the area at about 3:40 p.m., causing the National Weather Service to issue a tornado warning for the Naugatuck area.
In Shelton, the storm damage was concentrated mostly on the eastern portion of town, along the Housatonic River. The Fire Department and Office of Emergency Management had to close off roads in two separate areas because of fallen trees and downed wires.
In the Pine Rock section of town, near the Housatonic River along the Stratford, about seven or eight residential blocks were closed off, said Shelton Fire Chief Francis Jones.
The streets are impassible because of the amount of trees the fell in the road, Jones said.
He reported no injuries, and said there are no people trapped in cars or homes at this point. But fire fighters are currently going house to house to make sure everyone is OK.
“We’re still assessing the damage,” Jones said at about 6:30 p.m., before quickly getting off the phone to continue directing volunteers on response efforts.
On Route 110, near Long Hill Avenue, the fire department also shut down the road because of wires and trees.
One home was reported struck by lightening, on Bruce Drive about 4:30 p.m. Jones said no one was injured and there was no fire as a result of the strike.
Prindle Lane in Ansonia was shut for a few hours after high tension wires fell to the ground.
A crew from Connecticut Light & Power was on the scene as of 6:13 p.m. making repairs.
Ansonia firefighters received a report of a lightening strike at a housing complex on Woodlawn Avenue. There were no injuries or major damage to the building.
“It sent their alarms into a tizzy. They’re still working on fixing it at this point,” Ansonia Fire Chief Michael Eheman said.
The Ansonia Police Department was hit by lightening as well, Eheman said. It knocked part of the phone system out for a short time.
“It came through one of the (air conditioner) units and blasted out the phone lines,” the chief said.
The United Illuminating Company reported 1,491 power outages in Ansonia and 848 in Derby as of 5:30 p.m. Friday.
As of 6 p.m., 44 Connecticut Light and Power customers were without electricity in Beacon Falls, along with 76 in Oxford.
A flash flood watch was scheduled to be posted through Friday night, according to the Weather Service.
Anywhere from 2 to 4 inches is expected to be dumped on the area by Saturday morning.
Here is Saturday’s forecast from the National Weather Service:
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 84. North wind between 3 and 7 mph.
Saturday Night: Patchy fog after 2 a.m. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 65. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
