Heavy Rain, Fairfield
- When
- August 20, 2:00 PM EST to August 21, 6:00 AM EST
- Where
- Fairfield County, Countywide
- Deaths
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 41.326, -73.447 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain in Connecticut, August 20 to 21, 1997
A low pressure system developed over the lower Midwest on Wednesday, August 20th. As it moved slowly east-northeast, it intensified.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 2
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS OKX wrote it up.
A low pressure system developed over the lower Midwest on Wednesday, August 20th. As it moved slowly east-northeast, it intensified. The low passed over Pennsylvania and moved south of Long Island during Thursday morning.The low produced heavy rain and strong gusty winds. Two men died when their car hit a puddle and went out-of-control on I-95 in Stratford around 10:32 pm.Here are selected rainfall amounts for:Fairfield County: 1.94 inches at Bridgeport Airport and 1.67 inches in Huntington.New Haven County: 2.32 inches at North Branford, 1.88 inches at North Cheshire and Wallingford, and 1.84 inches at Madison.East to southeast winds averaged 15 to 25 mph with gusts over 30 mph.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Rain, New Haven
- When
- August 20, 3:00 PM EST to August 21, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- New Haven County, Countywide
- Coordinates
- 41.362, -72.844 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Rain, Fairfield | 1997-08-20 | 20 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
| Heavy Rain, Fairfield | 1997-08-20 | 22 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
What these are
- Heavy Rain
- Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flash Flood in New Jersey, August 20 to 21, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Utah, August 20, 1997
- Flash Flood in New Jersey, August 20 to 21, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, August 20, 1997
- Flash Flood in New Jersey, August 20 to 21, 1997
- Flash Flood in New Jersey, August 20 to 21, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Texas, August 20, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, August 20, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, August 20, 1997
- Damaging Winds in North Carolina, August 20, 1997
- Flood in Michigan, August 20 to 22, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, August 20, 1997
More
Every storm in Connecticut in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Connecticut, August 1997
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5610699, 5610700.