Tornado in Connecticut, August 16, 2000

A small tornado touched down for about 5 minutes in Ellington, located in northwest Tolland County. It was an unusual tornado which spun up in a low level convergence area immediately along a cold front. There were several eyewitness accounts of a rotating funnel cloud, and the tornado first touched down on a trailer store along Route 83 in the northern part of Ellington. A total of 27 trailers were blown around and were left lying in different directions. One trailer, which weighed nearly 1,400 pounds, was lifted upward to a height of 35 feet and carried 60 yards. A cow barn, consisting of a galvanized steel frame, was damaged. Several trees were uprooted and many branches snapped off. Based upon the damage observed, the tornado was classified as an F1 with wind speeds of 73 to 112 mph. The damage path was one and a half miles long and 40 yards wide. It traveled from the west-northwest to the east-southeast. No injuries were reported and there was only minimal damage.