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Two tornadoes touched down in the region as a severe storm system swept through on Wednesday afternoon, April 21.
Late Thursday afternoon, April 22, the National Weather Service confirmed the twisters -- in Amenia, in Dutchess County, New York and in Bulls Bridge to southern Kent in Litchfield County, Connecticut. Both occurred between 2:49 p.m. and 2:51 p.m. Wednesday.
The Amenia tornado was an Enhanced Fujita Scale - EF1 twister with an estimated peak wind speed of 100 miles per hour.
The Litchfield County twister was an EFO tornado with its top wind speed at 85 mph.
StormData shows it was the earliest Connecticut tornado on record. The earliest prior was an F1 that occurred in Tolland County, Connecticut on April 26, 1961. The earliest one in Litchfield County was on May 12, 1959, an F2.
Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into five categories:
- EF0 - Weak, winds of 65 to 85 mph
- EF1 - Weak, winds of 86 to 110 mph
- EF2 - Strong, winds of 111 to 135 mph
- EF3 - Strong, winds of 136 to 165 mph
- EF4 - Violent, winds. of 166 to 200 mph
- EF5 - Violent, winds of more than 200 mph
Dutchess County Tornado Info
According to the National Weather Service:
- The Dutchess County tornado had a path of 0.6 miles and width of 100 yards.
- It touched down just south of Amenia and moved Northeast into the village of Amenia. It started near the intersection of Powder House Road and Ohandley Drive and caused sporadic damage.
- One house along O'Handley Drive had partial roof damage and a two-by-four and a small branch driven into the side of the home. Nine of 10 homes of Ohandley Drive sustained damage.
- The twister ended near the intersection of Mechanic Street and East Main Street where it ripped the roof of a restaurant.
- No injuries were reported as a result of it.
Litchfield County Tornado Info
According to the National Weather Service:
- The Litchfield County tornado had a path of 1 mile and width of 30 yards.
- It touched down just north of Bulls Ridge and moved Northeast into South Kent. Damage was sporadic along the path which began along Route 7 just north of Bulls Bridge and consisted mostly of downed tree limbs.
- A few hardwood trees were snapped and uprooted and one homeowner lost part of a solid wooden fence along Spooner Hill Road. A car tent canopy was blown away by the strong winds.
- No damage to buildings was noted.
- The twister ended in a forested area east of Spooner Hill Road.
- No injuries were reported as a result of it.
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