Connecticut, 2001

Tornado in Connecticut, June 23, 2001

June 23, 2001 · NWS BOX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

An isolated severe thunderstorm, which had a history of producing two tornadoes in northwest Connecticut, also produced a brief F0 tornado as it clipped the extreme northwest portion of Hartford County. The touchdown occurred in East Hartland, where a ground survey indicated a path length of about one-third of a mile and a width of 80 yards.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

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  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$20,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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 BOX wrote it up.

An isolated severe thunderstorm, which had a history of producing two tornadoes in northwest Connecticut, also produced a brief F0 tornado as it clipped the extreme northwest portion of Hartford County. The touchdown occurred in East Hartland, where a ground survey indicated a path length of about one-third of a mile and a width of 80 yards. Wind speeds were estimated to have been near 70 mph. The fire department in East Hartland reported 8 to 9 inch diameter limbs blown down along Route 179. An antenna was blown off the off of the fire station, and two windows were blown out of the fire house door. A flag pole was picked up and landed in a tree. One eyewitness saw wooden stakes lifted out of a truck, which were swirling in the air. Another person saw large branches rotating in mid air. No injuries were reported.

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 Boston/Norton, MA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 23, 9:36 AM EST, 4 hours 42 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 23, 9:36 AM EST, 4 hours 42 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
1036 AM EDT SAT JUN 23 2001

UPDATED ZONES FOR THIS AFTN ONLY.  LWR CLDS/FOG HAV BEEN BREAKING UP
ACRS THE ERN HLF OF THE FCST AREA AND LTL IF ANY HIR CLDS PRESENT.
DOES NOT APPR THAT ANY SHWRS WL RCH THAT AREA FOR NEXT 4 OR SO HRS.
SO FCST MODIFIED FOR THIS SECTION TO PTLY SUNNY THEN SHWRS/TSTMS
LATER.  ALSO FRESHENED UP WORDING FOR AFTN IN THE W.  APPRS THAT
THE SHWRS/TSTMS ACRS NE NJ AND SE NY WL RCH AT LEAST SOME OF THE WRN
ZONES THIS AFTN AND MORE WL PRBLY DVLP AS OMEGA MAX PASSES JUST TO
THE W OF SNE AND OMEGA ACRS THE WRN HLF OF THE FA INCRSS.  THE
PROSPECT OF HVY DOWNPOURS WITH THESE, SPCLY W, STILL LOOKS GOOD.

.BOX...NONE.

DMH

The radar

The Albany radar (KENX), 116 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:18 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Hartford

When
June 23, 2:18 PM EST
Where
Hartford County, East Hartland
Rating
F0
Path length
0.3 mi
Path width
80 yd
Property damage
$20,000
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
42.000, -72.900

Brief F0 touchdown

What these are

Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

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 historyThe tornado archive for Connecticut, 2001Warnings 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: 5250325.