Connecticut, 2001

Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Connecticut, June 11, 2001

June 11, 2001 · NWS OKX · 4 events in 3 counties and zones

During Monday evening, June 11th, a surface trough moved east across southern New England, propelled by a potent disturbance in the middle and upper levels of the atmosphere. This triggered clusters of strong to locally severe thunderstorms across portions of southern Connecticut Monday evening into the early morning hours of Tuesday June 12th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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.

During Monday evening, June 11th, a surface trough moved east across southern New England, propelled by a potent disturbance in the middle and upper levels of the atmosphere. This triggered clusters of strong to locally severe thunderstorms across portions of southern Connecticut Monday evening into the early morning hours of Tuesday June 12th. Damaging winds downed trees and power lines across portions of southern Connecticut, and heavy rains caused areas of flooding on roadways and in low-lying areas.In addition, numerous cloud to ground lightning strikes accompanied these storms, causing numerous power outages across southern Connecticut, particularly from Norwich to New London. In Middlesex County, lightning struck the chimney of a home on Harvard Court in Middletown, and tore a hole in the roof. Cost estimates of the property damage were unknown.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS New York, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 11, 1:30 PM EST, 6 hours 7 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 11, 1:30 PM EST, 6 hours 7 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
230 PM EDT MON JUN 11 2001

DISC: WEAK LOW PRESS MOVG THRU NRN NEW YORL ST. THE LOW SHD TRACK E
INTO NEW ENG BY TNGT. SHWRS AND TSTMS WILL MOV THRU UNTIL ARND
MIDNGT. ETA/NGM SHOW ABOUT THE SAME WITH REGARD TO TIMMING AND
STRENGTH OF THE TSTM MOVMENT. LATEST MSAS SFC PLOTS SHOWS THE MAIN
AREA OF INSTABLIILTY IS MOVG INTO CNTRL NY/PA THERE IS ALSO ANOTHER
SHSOT OVER NRN VA. ALL OF THIS SHD MOV INTO OUR RGN. THE MAIN
THREAT WILL BE UNTIL ARND MIDNIGHT FOR MOST ZNS. A BIT LONGER OVER
ERN LI AND CT. MOST OF THE ACTION SHD STILL BE TO OUR N...BUT WITH
THE SLGT RISK OVR US WILL AGAIN MENTION THAT WE CUD SEE SOEM HVY
RAIN...STRNG WIND AND THE LTGNG FACTOR. BUFKIT SHOWS WINDS REACHING
ARND 40KT AT THE 2-3K LVL. WITH ANY TYPE OF EITHER HVY SHWRS/TSTMS
THERE CUD BE SOME WINDS GUSTS.

MODELS HAVE ALL THE ACTION GOING THROUGH US BY 06Z OR SO. THEN A WK
HI PRES WILL BEGIN TO BUILD IN. NGM DOES WANT TO BRING A TOUCH OF
PCPN WITH A VRY WK SHOT OF OMEGA...FOR NOW AM GOING WITH THE ETA AND
WILL KP IT DRY FOR THE NXT COUPLE OF DAYS. UPR RIDGE DOES STRT TO
DVLP AS THE TROF..S/W MOVS TO OUR E. WE AGAIN WILL GET INTO A SW
FLOW AND TEMPS WILL RISE INTO THE MID AND UPR 80S ALONG WITH DEW
POINTS IN THE MID TO UPR 60S. SUMMER HAS COME TO THE E CST.

FCSTID = 17
EWR   67  85  65  87 /  30   0   0   0
MGJ   60  81  63  87 /  30   0   0   0
DXR   60  81  63  87 /  30   0   0   0
NYC   66  82  68  86 /  30   0   0   0
ISP   64  80  66  83 /  30   0   0   0
GON   63  76  64  78 /  40   0   0   0

.OKX...
CT...NONE.
NJ...NONE.
NY...NONE.
MARINE...NONE.

The radar

The Brookhaven radar (KOKX), 70 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:39 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, New Haven

When
June 11, 7:37 PM EST
Where
New Haven County, Naugatuck
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.483, -73.050

Thunderstorm Wind, Middlesex

When
June 11, 10:00 PM EST
Where
Middlesex County, Middletown
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.550, -72.650

Lightning, Middlesex

When
June 11, 10:00 PM EST
Where
Middlesex County, Middletown
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
41.451, -72.508 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, New London

When
June 11, 10:30 PM EST
Where
New London County, Norwich
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.517, -72.067

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Connecticut in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Connecticut, June 2001

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: 5251259, 5251260, 5251262, 5251261.