Tornado watch, flash flood warning issued amid Connecticut thunderstorms

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.

"Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly," the warning said.

Thunderstorms could bring damaging winds and heavy rain to Connecticut later Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

A hazardous weather outlook across southern Connecticut warned that "multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms" are expected Tuesday afternoon into the night.

"There is potential for isolated to scattered severe thunderstorms," the bulletin added. 

By around noon, heavy rain had begun in southwestern Connecticut. Severe weather is more likely during the evening and afternoon hours, the New York office noted.

Nearly 3,000 power outages were reported as of 3:40 p.m., according Eversource, the state's largest utility company. It said Westport, Canaan, Norwalk, Branford and Greenwich 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 119 as of 3:40 p.m.

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. 

Tuesday's thunderstorms also left a Beardsley Zoo employee injured in Bridgeport, according to city spokesperson Shawnna White. The worker was moving a chain link fence when lightning struck nearby and the employee experienced contact with the electrical discharge, she said. They were not seriously injured, she said.

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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