Strong Wind — Northern Litchfield, Connecticut

2023-12-18 · Northern Litchfield, Connecticut

Event narrative

The combination of gusty winds and soft ground surfaces resulted in reports of downed trees and wires resulting in some power outages. Torrington and Winsted were among some of the communities affected.

Wider weather episode

An area of low pressure tracked up the East Coast and intensified in the process as it brought widespread heavy rainfall across northwestern Connecticut on December 18, 2023. The rain fell light to moderate in intensity during the early morning hours, then became heavier during the later morning and early afternoon hours before tapering off. Rainfall totals were between 3 and 5 inches. This rain led to both areal and river flooding across the region. River flooding was primarily concentrated along the Housatonic as it took until December 21 for flood waters to recede along some portions of the river.

In addition, wind gusts between 30 and 40 mph combined with the soft ground surfaces resulted in downed trees and branches which hit some wires causing power outages. Some of the communities impacted included Torrington and Winsted.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1151159. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.