First Recap of Thursday's Storms
By Erica Grow on July 26, 2012, 8:39pm
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The initial line of severe thunderstorms has pushed through Connecticut and into the Long Island Sound. Looking back, I realize that the thunderstorm activity didn't last very long! The bow-shaped line of severe storms crossed the NY/CT line, into Danbury and Ridgefield, right around 7:00pm. The storms raced across our state at 45-50mph; since Connecticut is only about 80 miles wide, it didn't take long for the storms to pass. By 8:30pm, this line was in New London County, and since the storms were moving in an ESE direction, they were almost completely in the waters of the Sound by this time, too.
The biggest effect of this initial band appears to be the wind. A bow echo is an indication of very strong winds, caused by thunderstorm convection. The strong updrafts displace the air aloft, causing it to descend and accelerate toward the ground. This type of wind is called a downburst or microburst, depending on the type of storm cell that produces it. When viewed from above, damage patterns from a downburst or microburst often look like a fan, or lines radiating out from an arc.
We will learn more about the damage from this line of thunderstorms as the storm reports start filtering into the National Weather Service tonight and tomorrow. One thing we know for sure is that there weren't any Tornado Warnings issued for Connecticut, and the members of Storm Team 8 didn't spot any tornado signatures on radar. But there were many reports of trees down, and fires that were presumably sparked by lightning strikes.
As of now, there are no reports of flooding in Connecticut, but that could change as the rain keeps falling. The most vulnerable areas will be the typical low-lying streets, underpasses, and small creeks, as they can quickly get overwhelmed with water during a downpour.
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