Sharon Severe Storm Intercept: Full Recap
By Quincy Vagell on July 19, 2012, 5:30pm
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I had quite a wild day yesterday as I intercepted a storm in Sharon, CT.
Quick overview:
I Left Danbury around 10 a.m. and decided to head northwest into Dutchess County. From there, I could decide where to go. I had a feeling that I might end up back in Litchfield County.
Storms quickly began to develop by around noon and around 1:30, I found myself near the CT/NY border. Cell service was a nightmare and with the GPS failing, I ended up in Sharon. This would prove to put me in perfect position.
I drove around a little and found a west-facing field, perfect for the oncoming storm.
The timing of the worst of the storm came from about 1:50 to 2:00 p.m. There was a severe thunderstorm warning and I was able to witness a lot of this first hand.
Winds reached about 60 MPH, based on initial estimates and later analysis I did on flying debris and hay, by estimating the distance traveled over a period of time.
In addition to strong winds, there was some small hail. It was only about pea-sized and aside from hearing it hit the car, it can't be seen on video. I did see a few melted chunks on my windshield, but the big story with this storm was wind damage.
I left the spot shortly after 2:00 p.m. and quickly saw damage everywhere.
About 500 feet south of where I was parked, trees had brought down power lines. I turned around and numerous roads were littered with branches and trees. Some were even impassable.
I headed south and eventually attempted to hit a few more storms. None were anywhere near as strong as the supercell that pounded Dutchess County and Litchfield County. Some reports came back with hail up to 1.00 inches.
Read on for a complete wrap-up from start to finish of my journey.
Click here to skip ahead to Sharon, where I set up the successful intercept.
