Winter Weather — Southern Fairfield, Connecticut

2009-01-06 to 2009-01-07 · Southern Fairfield, Connecticut

Event narrative

Ice accumulation appears to have been the cause of a tree falling on a car traveling on the Merritt Parkway near the North Street Ramp, exit 31, around 9 a.m in Greenwich. A 30-year-old female suffered minor injuries.

Wider weather episode

The combination of a weak high retreating over the northeast and deepening low pressure over the Great Lakes resulted in a significant accumulation of ice across interior portions of southern Connecticut from the evening of January 6 into the afternoon of January 7. A warm front extending east from the developing low worked northward from the Mid Atlantic states with overrunning precipitation well out ahead of it.

Ice amounts averaged around one-half inch across northern portions of New Haven and New London counties, with up to almost an inch in spots. The following are ice accumulation ranges across the area: New Haven County, 0.30 inches in New Haven to 0.80 inches in Waterbury; and in New London County, 0.30 inches in Groton to 0.50 inches in Norwich. Across Fairfield County, reported amounts were generally between 0.30 and 0.40 inches, but damage across the region suggested higher amounts.

Numerous power lines and large tree limbs were reported down across the region on January 7, especially in and around the Danbury area. Power outages exceeded 20 percent in some towns. In Waterbury, Connecticut, a large tree limb fell on power lines, bringing a utility pole down on a 21-year-old woman's head in front of her home at approximately 1600EST. The woman died later that evening at around 2100EST.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 150091. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.