Live Connecticut storm updates: Tornado watch, flooding underway amid storm

The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning and a tornado watch for parts of Connecticut as thunderstorms brought heavy rain starting around noon Tuesday.

The flash flood warning applies to Fairfield County and western New Haven County, according to the National Weather Service. The tornado watch covers both of counties entirely, as well as Litchfield County, and is in effect until 9 p.m. Tuesday.

Middlesex County was also under a flood advisory.

The warning said between 1 and 2 inches of rain had fallen over the area with an expected rainfall rate of 1-2.5 inches per hour. Another 1-2 inches of rain are possible in the area under the warning, the weather service said.

Here's the latest on the storm's impact on Connecticut:

Thousands still without power in CT Tuesday evening

At 7:15 p.m. there were still thousands of households without power across Connecticut. Eversource, which reported a peak of about 4,400 outages during the storm, reported 2,353 at that time.

The cities with the most outages were Branford, Westport and Norwalk, which reported 597, 474 and 389, respectively.

United Illuminating had reported about 1,300 outages earlier in the afternoon, but only listed 25 at 7:15 p.m.

Storm issues cause delays on Metro-North Railroad

Metro-North Railroad said customers of its New Haven line were experiencing delays of up to 30 minutes because of weather-related signal problems near ‌Stamford.

The company said the delays began around 5 p.m., and include delays on all stations between Grand Central and New Haven.

Two rescued from flood water in Killingly

Two people were rescued Tuesday after a car was partially submerged in flood water in Killingly, officials said. 

The Connecticut State Police said the rescue took place under a railroad bridge on Cottage Street. Officials said no one was injured. 

In a Facebook post, the Danielson Fire Department said the street will remain closed until the water recedes. 

Storm conditions closed multiple roads in Westport

In a post on Facebook, the Westport Police Department said Wilton Road at Edge Hill, Cross Highway at Punchbowl and Kings Highway North were closed as of 5 p.m. due to storm conditions. They asked that drivers seek alternate routes.

"Public Works and emergency crews are actively responding to storm-related issues throughout town," they said. "We encourage everyone to use caution while traveling, never drive through flooded roadways, and report any hazardous conditions to the appropriate authorities. We appreciate your patience and cooperation as crews work to safely reopen these roadways. We will provide updates as conditions change."

Sherwood Island State Park in Westport closed due to flooding

Sherwood Island State Park was closed on Tuesday afternoon due to flooding from the storm, according to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

No other state parks were closed at that time, but a storm on July 4 caused multiple parks to close after they suffered damage in the heavy rains and wind. Squantz Pond State Park was closed the longest because of damage from the storm, but reopened about a week later.

Employee at Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport shocked by lightning

Shawnna White, a Bridgeport spokesperson, said a Beardsley Zoo staff member was maneuvering a chain-link fence during routine operations in the afternoon when lightning struck in the area. She said the employee experienced contact from the electrical discharge.

Out of an abundance of caution the employee went to the local hospital for evaluation, White said, adding the staffer was doing well and no serious injuries were reported.

Significant flooding reported in Stamford

In a series of posts on X, the Belltown Volunteer Fire Department in Stamford shared a photo of flooding on Haig Avenue, which closed the road Tuesday. The photo showed the entire neighborhood covered in multiple inches of water.

"Over the past several hours Belltown members have responded to numerous storm related incidents. Members were able to verify this vehicle's operator was safe after becoming stranded in high water on Haig Avenue," they said.

Fire officials said crews also responded to a parking garage the Springdale district where a dewatering operation was underway in a below grade parking garage.

Thousands of power outages reported in Connecticut

More than 3,600 power outages were reported as of 4:35 p.m., according Eversource, the state's largest utility company. It said Greenwich, Branford, Westport, Norwalk, Madison and Canaan each reported more than 300 outages.

United Illuminating Company, which covers portions of Fairfield and New Haven counties, initially reported 1,290 in the early afternoon, but that number fell to just 182 as of 4:35 p.m.

Flooding reported in multiple towns and cities

Flooding was also being reported in those counties at that time. Police in Shelton, Stamford, Norwalk and Bridgeport said they were receiving reports of flooding on some city roads.

In Norwalk, portions of Connecticut Avenue, Woodward Avenue and New Canaan Avenue were closed due to flooding. 

Bridgeport police had already closed multiple roads in preparation for possible flooding. They said the intersections of East Main Street and Crescent Street; State Street and Iranistan Avenue, Bishop Avenue at the Railroad Avenue Viaduct and River Street between North Washington Avenue and North Avenue were closed. The heavy rain eventually led to heavy flooding in the area of Railroad Avenue, while nearby on Iranistan Avenue, large stretches of the street were fully submerged. 

Fairfield also experienced flooding on Tuesday, with the railroad underpass in on Round Hill Road covered in water and closed to traffic.

In West Haven, the train overpass at Washington Avenue and Wood Street was shut down due to flooding, as was a section of Campbell Avenue.

In Trumbull, officials closes the local Senior Center after heavy rains flooded the property. Officials said the flooding will also result in the center being closed on Wednesday as well.

Hail and tornadoes possible in some areas

Earlier Tuesday, the weather service's New York office noted that "damaging winds" are the most likely impact of the storms. However, "a low chance of large hail or a tornado" also exists.

The weather service said winds could gust up to 70 mph, damaging trees and power lines across the region. The areas at greatest risk from winds are the New York City metro area, northeastern New Jersey, Nassau County and New York's Lower Hudson Valley. Those areas are also most at risk of tornadoes, the weather service said. 

Heavy rain is also expected. Western areas of Connecticut are forecast to see up to around 2 inches of rain, with lower rainfall totals of around an inch elsewhere. Rainfall predictions ahead of thunderstorms are often hit-or-miss because storms can produce heavy rainfall totals over isolated areas. 

The weather service's New York office said rainfall rates up to 2.5 inches per hour are possible. 

A flood watch is in effect in northeastern New Jersey and the New York City metro area.

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