Flash Flood in Fairfield County, Connecticut

Mudslide on Shelter Rock Road in Danbury has caused a major gas leak and evacuations in the Woodland Hills Complex.

A frontal system over the area on August 18th allowed for the development of rain early in the morning. As the day progressed, mesoscale features including multiple boundary interactions and a mesolow allowed thunderstorms to continue to intensify with persistent back-building and training over the same areas in southern Connecticut. These thunderstorms produced anywhere from 3-4.5 inch per hour rainfall rates resulting in several considerable Flash Flood Warnings and a Flash Flood Emergency being issued. Numerous rescues, road and bridge washouts, and several mudslides resulted in widespread damage. Several large-stem rivers including the Naugatuck, Pomperaug, Housatonic, and Still Rivers all reached major flood stage at some point during the day as a result of a widespread 5-8 inches of rainfall with localized amounts of up to 12-13 inches. Unfortunately, 3 people lost their lives in Connecticut as a result of the flash flooding.

Preliminary damage assessment costs for Fairfield County is $5.8 million and New Haven County is $4 million. This is not a final number.