A powerful cold front plowed into southwestern Connecticut early this morning, bringing 60-plus mile-an-hour winds, moderate-to-heavy rain, power outages, and severe damage to the region. Part of the roof of Fairfield Ludlowe High School was destroyed, causing an early dismissal and a three-day weekend for students, teachers, and staff.
The storms was caused by a clash of two air masses. Ahead of the front, temperatures surged to a record 58 degrees at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford at 4:36 a.m., which broke the previous mark of 54 degrees set one year ago. It was also 35 degrees warmer than normal for this time of the year. The peak wind gusts happened after 4 o'clock as the front approached. The wind gusted to 61 mph at the airport at 4:28 and 64 mph in Norwalk at 4:15.
The near-hurricane force winds caused the damage to the Ludlowe roof. According to a letter sent to parents from FLHS principal Greg Hatzis, "In the early morning hours of January 31, storm winds blew off a section of the rubber membrane on the FLHS roof. The affected area is above a main hallway in the second floor (Warner House). This left a portion of the building without a moisture barrier and the rain from the storm entered the building. This hallway contains fifteen classrooms, about ten of which sustained some water damage."
Wind gusts were even stronger in other parts of the state. In fact, a 78-mile-an-hour wind gust was clocked in Westbook at 5:20 a.m., and a 73-mile-an-hour wind gust was recorded at Madison at 5:25 a.m. East Haven (68 mph), Old Saybrook (65 mph), Middletown (64 mph), and New Haven (61 mph) also had wind gusts over 60 miles an hour.
The damaging winds also caused many power outages. Many residents of Westport were without power following the height of the storm. Westport First Selectman Gordon Joseloff said the storm left more than 40
percent of the town without electricity at one point. A dozen utility crews were on hand to help restore power.
Moderate rainfall accompanied the cold front. More than one inch of rain fell in Danbury, and over a half-inch (0.60") was measured at Sikorsky Airport. The winds shifted out of the West once the front passed before daybreak, and temperatures dropped steadily throughout the day. After reaching the record high of 58 degrees after 4 o'clock, the mercury dropped to 46 degrees just before one o'clock as winds gusted over 30 miles an hour. By 7 o'clock, the temperature fell to 36 degrees.
Now, cold weather is here to stay. Daytime temperatures will remain in the 30s through the middle of next week with nighttime lows in the lower 20s. Another system will bring snow to the region by Saturday night into Sunday afternoon. Two-to-three inches of snow are possible by the time the storm exits Sunday night. Another round of snow is expected later Tuesday into Wednesday.
Never a dull moment in the weathercenter.
Paul
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