Tornadoes · United States · Connecticut

Tornadoes in Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut

20 tornadoes have crossed Naugatuck Valley Planning Region since 1950, 2nd of the 7 counties in Connecticut with a tornado on record, an average of one every 3.8 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 162. 1 was rated F4 or EF4 and above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
20
Deaths
1
Injuries
162
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, July 10, 1989

The deadliest in Naugatuck Valley Planning Region

  1. F3, South Central Connecticut Planning Region and Capitol Planning Region counties, ConnecticutMay 24, 19621 killed, 50 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, South Central Connecticut Planning Region County, ConnecticutJuly 10, 1989F4, 3.0 mi (5 km)
  2. F3, South Central Connecticut Planning Region and Capitol Planning Region counties, ConnecticutMay 24, 1962F3, 11.6 mi (19 km)
  3. F3, South Central Connecticut Planning Region County, ConnecticutJuly 29, 1971F3, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  4. F2, Northwest Hills Planning Region and South Central Connecticut Planning Region counties, ConnecticutJuly 10, 1989F2, 5.0 mi (8 km)
  5. F2, South Central Connecticut Planning Region County, ConnecticutOctober 24, 1955F2, 0.5 mi (1 km)
  6. F2, South Central Connecticut Planning Region County, ConnecticutSeptember 18, 1973F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 16 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Naugatuck Valley Planning Region. Each year links to every tornado in Connecticut that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20212EF0
20201EF1
20182EF1
20161EF0
20141EF0
20091EF1
20021F0
19961F1
19952F1
19892110F4
19821F1
19731F2
197112F3
19621150F3
19591F0
19551F2

Every tornado that crossed Naugatuck Valley Planning Region

20 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
November 13, 20213:44 PM ESTEF0South Central Connecticut Planning Region1.9300$100,000
November 13, 20213:30 PM ESTEF0South Central Connecticut Planning Region3.6100$150,000
August 27, 20203:53 PM EDTEF1South Central Connecticut Planning Region11.1500$500,000
May 15, 20185:01 PM EDTEF1South Central Connecticut Planning Region7.4600$100,000
May 15, 20184:53 PM EDTEF1South Central Connecticut Planning Region3.7400$100,000
August 10, 20161:29 PM EDTEF0South Central Connecticut Planning Region2.750$15,000
July 27, 201412:50 PM EDTEF0South Central Connecticut Planning Region0.7100$25,000
July 31, 20094:28 PM EDTEF1South Central Connecticut Planning Region2.9100$10,000
May 31, 20027:40 PM EDTF0South Central Connecticut Planning Region0.210
July 3, 19966:40 AM EDTF1South Central Connecticut Planning Region0.5100$2.0 million
July 23, 19956:30 PM EDTF0South Central Connecticut Planning Region0.517
May 29, 19956:23 PM EDTF1South Central Connecticut Planning Region2.073$5,000 to $50,000
July 10, 19894:45 PM EDTF4South Central Connecticut Planning Region3.010040$50 million to $500 million
July 10, 19894:15 PM EDTF2Northwest Hills Planning Region5.010070$5 million to $50 million
July 28, 19826:10 PM EDTF1South Central Connecticut Planning Region2.5150$500 to $5,000
September 18, 197311:15 AM EDTF2South Central Connecticut Planning Region0.1117
July 29, 19717:55 PM EDTF3South Central Connecticut Planning Region0.12002$50,000 to $500,000
May 24, 19625:30 PM GMT-4F3South Central Connecticut Planning Region11.6120150$500,000 to $5 million
August 29, 19598:00 AM GMT-4F0South Central Connecticut Planning Region0.117under $50
October 24, 19556:30 PM GMT-4F2South Central Connecticut Planning Region0.5200$500 to $5,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Naugatuck Valley Planning RegionThe forecast for Naugatuck Valley Planning RegionThe live radar over Naugatuck Valley Planning RegionEvery county in Connecticut

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.