Coastal Flood in Connecticut, March 31, 1997

Name: Coastal Flood in Connecticut, March 31, 1997
Start: 1997-03-31T08:00
End: 1997-03-31T23:59
Location: Connecticut

March 31, 1997 · NWS OKX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

An intense low pressure system developed off the DELMARVA Coast during Monday morning. Heavy rain developed by late Monday morning.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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

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The toll

Deaths: 1
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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.

An intense low pressure system developed off the DELMARVA Coast during Monday morning. It moved slowly east-northeast, passing south of Long Island Monday afternoon and southeast of Cape Cod, MA during Tuesday morning, April 1st.Heavy rain developed by late Monday morning. As winds increased, it became wind-swept. Rain gradually mixed with sleet and snow before it changed to wet snow by Monday evening. Peak wind gusts ranged from 40 to 50 mph. Here are selected rainfall amounts for:Southern Fairfield County: from 1.20 inches at Bethel to 1.49 inches at Bridgeport Airport.Southern New Haven County: from 1.28 inches at North Cheshire to 2.16 inches at East Haven.Here are selected snowfall amounts for:Southern Fairfield County: from 2 inches at Greenwich to 5.3 inches at New Canaan.Southern New Haven County: from 3 inches at Milford to 6 inches at New Haven.Southern New London County: 4 inches at Groton.A Stamford man was killed on the Merritt Parkway in a car accident around 7:20 am. His car slid off the snow-covered road and slammed into a tree.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 coastal flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Coastal Flood, Southern Fairfield

When: March 31, 8:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Southern Fairfield forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 41.285, -73.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Coastal Flood, Southern New Haven

When: March 31, 9:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Southern New Haven forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.443, -72.965 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Coastal Flood, Southern New London

When: March 31, 11:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Southern New London forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.504, -72.101 (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
Coastal Flood, Southern Fairfield	1997-04-01	39	Male	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Direct

What these are

Coastal Flood: Flooding of coastal land by the sea, from storm surge, onshore wind or high tides.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Connecticut in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in Connecticut, March 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5611016, 5611017, 5611018.