Heat in Northern Litchfield, Connecticut

June 21, 2024 was the fourth day in the stretch of hot, humid conditions. Heat index (or feels like temperatures) reached between 95 and 104 degrees across Litchfield County.

A lingering surface trough and weak cold front tracked southward through northwest Connecticut on June 21. Warm, moist antecedent conditions aided in providing a fairly unstable environment and requisite values of several severe weather parameters working in tandem with the aforementioned forcing mechanisms drove scattered severe thunderstorms in Litchfield County.

Severe thunderstorms resulted in several reports of downed trees. Additionally, one severe thunderstorm produced a weak, EF0 tornado that touched down in the town of Harwinton. The tornado touched down along Spring Hill Road just before 5 PM and followed along a path of about 2 miles. With maximum estimated wind speeds of 85 mph and a path width of 250 yards, extensive tree damage was sustained with limbs broken and trees uprooted sporadically along the path. An estimated $15000 in tree damage was sustained.