Is this a first - FIRST ALERT: Hurricane Watches Expanded for Southern Connecticut

[malaise]

https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/weather-news/stories/hurricane-watch-in-effect-for-parts-of-connecticut-as-tropical-storm-henri-approaches/2565214/

A hurricane watch has been expanded for parts of Connecticut as Tropical Storm Henri continues its track north in the Atlantic Ocean.

The update at 11 a.m. from the National Hurricane Center shifts the track of the storm west and brings the eye of Henri into Connecticut on Sunday night.

As utility companies prepare for the storm, Eversource's president and CEO, Joe Nolan, said the company is classifying the storm as a Level 3 event, meaning up to 49% of customers could be without power for five to 10 days.

https://www.tropicaltidbits.com/

https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/storm_graphics/AT08/refresh/AL082021_5day_cone_no_line_and_wind+png/113828_5day_cone_no_line_and_wind.png

[Ritabert]

1. Hurricane Gloria hit southern CT in 1985

....after hitting Long Island and later Massachusetts. Winds were about 100 mph.

[malaise]

3. Thanks

This one shouldn't be that intense

[Act_of_Reparation]

10. And Bob in 1991.

Fun times.

[DET]

47. Been There, Done That

I went through Hurricane Bob when visiting the Cape for a high school reunion. Stayed at my brother’s house in Falmouth. A tree crashed through the master bedroom, one of his trees crushed his neighbor’s deck, and a tree destroyed my mother’s car at her place. Places on the beach were destroyed, roads were ripped up, and power lines were down everywhere. It was terrifying.

[Tomconroy]

2. Ruh-Oh!

[musette_sf]

4. Hurricane Donna

in 1960 hit Long Island Sound, and we got significant wind and rain up in Waterbury.

[malaise]

6. Thanks

I am totally ignorant about North East Coast hurricanes and tropical storms.

[onethatcares]

16. I was 9 y/o and remember that one

in PA. I remember the tree in my folks house bending over and touching the ground and the rain, torrential rain.

I think that was the only day my father didn't go to his union job.

[jpak]

22. I remember Donna when I was a lad

Inland Maine

Pretty scary

Yikes

[Stinky The Clown]

29. I was in Bridgeporyt then. The eye went right over us. I remember it well

I **think** that was the storm that wiped out the valley (Shelton, Naugatuck, etc.)

[Wounded Bear]

5. No, but it is rare...nt

[Klaralven]

7. The Great New England Hurricane of 1938

Southern Connecticut Highlights

Hurricane made second landfall around 4 pm somewhere between Bridgeport and New haven as a Category 3 with an approx. pressure of 27.94 (946 mb) and a 115 mph maximum sustained wind (Landsea et al. 2013).

Hundreds of lives were lost with many injured.

Extensive damage to homes, trees, and crops.

The storm tide at New London was 10.58' MLLW which is a record tide that still remains today.

Stamford recorded a 14.1' MLLW storm tide and Bridgeport recorded a 12.8' MLLW storm tide.

Bridges, utilities, and railroads were wiped out.

Catastrophic damage to fishing fleets.

https://www.weather.gov/okx/1938HurricaneHome

[malaise]

8. That was a major hurricane

Damn

[Treefrog]

9. Didn't Hazel do a number up there too? 50s?

On my phone so not looking it up now.

[First Speaker]

26. My Mom went thru the Hurricane of '38...

...people from her generation talked about it the rest of their lives. She remembered seeing a car blown from the shore out to one of the Thimble Islands. Then it stopped, and everyone went out to see the damage...but that was just the eye passing over, and it came back, worse than ever...

[Stinky The Clown]

31. We grew up in Lordship. My father talked about that storm every time there was a hurricane heading n

[Raftergirl]

11. I remember Donna.

I was only 4 but I remember my dad taking us to look at the waves. We lived about a mile from the shore in southern CT.

And of course, Irene and Sandy (though no officially a hurricane) did a lot of damage in CT.

I was supposed to pick up my mother at my sister’s in Wilton, but going down to get her tomorrow instead.

And Boston kid is taking doing prep today and tomorrow.

[malaise]

13. Stay safe

I think there were some power cuts from a weaker system last year

[Raftergirl]

15. I'm in the Albany area so should be ok.

Rain and a bit windy is our forecast.

We have had a whole house generator on order since February. I’m getting very frustrated with the delay.

[bluedevil4]

12. I thought it was going

To land in RI as a cat 1

[bdamomma]

23. I hope it veers off

in my tiny state.

[bluedevil4]

25. Getting the

Generator out tomorrow

[NutmegYankee]

17. Sadly No, not a first.

Hurricane Irene did the same back in 2011. An October snowstorm that same year did it again.

[Totally Tunsie]

18. We're prepping!

The stores and gas stations were crowding up as the day went on, and I noticed the parking lot was full at the nearby Massachusetts cannibus shop! Priorities, Man!

We'll get a good hit here in RI, but everyone I met up with was storm buzzed as we in New England tend to be when a big one heads our way. Latest report shows a slight shift to the west so Connecticut will get a good share also.

Now it's time to start cooking to have food on hand if/when the power goes out - damn electric stove.

[bdamomma]

24. Tunsie

Stay safe.

[Totally Tunsie]

33. Thank you, bdamomma! We'll be fine.

I live in a 100+ year old home that's withstood much stronger than this. The mood in the stores today was anticipatory...we New Englanders really do love a good storm, and generally know how to prepare for it, be it hurricane or blizzard.

In fact, I just got off the phone with my son who lives nearby b/c I need him to come by to bring me his spare router and also pick up household items going to my grandson's college apartment. He said he'd come on Sunday if he couldn't get here tomorrow. I reminded him about the storm, and his reaction was "No biggie - just a good rainstorm with a little wind."

Of course, I say this with the caveat that, while we've been in numerous storms of this type, we have never personally felt the devastating loss that often accompanies such things. We've been fortunate, to be sure. My heart does go out to those who lose life, home and property during these events.

[kskiska]

19. I was born and grew up in Southern Connecticut 1940s-1990s.

We had plenty of hurricanes over the years, one causing a horrific flood in town in 1955. Definitely not a first. Tropical Storm Sandy also did a lot of damage up there more recently.

[malaise]

20. Thanks for this

[musette_sf]

27. I was too young to remember the 1955 flood

but I remember seeing photos of it when I was a bit older. I found a page with photos from the Waterbury Republican, the daily morning paper:

https://rep-am.photoshelter.com/gallery/Flood-of-1955/G00008WWWn5iXpeo/2

[malaise]

30. Sent them to someone who lives there

Thanks

[kskiska]

48. I was in Norwalk and half our downtown was destroyed

when the river rose. The hurricanes preceded the flood, but the conditions they caused created the catastrophe. I have lots of photos. LIFE Magazine sent Margaret Bourke-White to photograph it.

[First Speaker]

28. Didn't two big ones hit within a week of each other in '55...?

...or am I thinking of another year...?

[Totally Tunsie]

32. Your memory is good.

Hurricane Diane blew through New England on August 18/19, one week after Hurricane Connie did its damage.
https://connecticuthistory.org/torrington-recovers-after-the-flood-of-55/

Between August 18th and 19th, Torrington received 14.25 inches of rain from Hurricane Diane—only one week after Hurricane Connie dropped 4-6 inches of rain in the area, saturating the ground and swelling local rivers. When the Naugatuck River flooded its banks, the water rushed through Torrington, wiping out the downtown area and destroying homes, businesses, roads, bridges, and local utilities.

I vividly remember Hurricane Diane. My parents and I tried the day after to return to our home in Byram, CT, after visiting relatives in mid-CT. My dad, somewhat of an amateur storm thriller, couldn't resist getting off the Merritt Parkway and touring some of the destruction along the way. It was horrendous. When we finally got home, we had to prove residence to get into our neighborhood b/c police were limiting "the gawkers" (That means you, Dad!) from coming through. We lived on a hill, but the Byram River below us was rampaging, and I recall watching the homes of schoolmates being pulled into the river which was charting a new course. Not a sight to be easily forgotten.

[malaise]

34. That means you Dad!

[Totally Tunsie]

36. He was something else! I credit (or should it be "blame"?) him

for my love of big storms because he was fearless of them. When hurricanes were bearing down, he'd pile my mom and I into his truck to drive down to the boating areas to watch the boaters scrambling to get their expensive flotation devices out of harm's way, no matter how late in the night. He'd sometimes get out to offer help, but that was soundly discouraged by my mother.

[Totally Tunsie]

35. Same here - 1940s-1960s.

I was living in Byram/Greenwich Connecticut for hurricanes Connie and Diane in 1955. We watched as the homes of schoolmates plunged into the Byram River as the river cut a new course. While we were safe, the devastation around us was unbelievable.

[cinematicdiversions]

49. What's funny is that I was in a couple of hurricanes in Connecticut growing up then I moved to

the west coast of Florida and nothing in the last 40 years outside of a relatively weak Irma.

Connecticut and Long Island get a lot more hurricanes than say Tampa, Florida.

[BumRushDaShow]

37. Remember when I was saying I was keeping an eye on this one?

Usually they are fish storms but sometimes...

I have been seeing some other stats too regarding the slow movement and how it could potentially be a "slowest mover on record" once it gets above 40N (usually these storms accelerate as they feel the effects or get caught in the northern jetstream, but this one is expected to continue with a slower than normal forward motion - it's moving at 7 mph at the moment).

[malaise]

39. Yep - you said it early

when we were thinking fish storm

[malaise]

40. Is this what led to four deaths and major damage in North Carolina? n/t

[BumRushDaShow]

41. I think that may have been from the rip currents caused by Henri sitting out there spinning

Those rip currents can get pretty bad along the east coast.

And i know there was earlier flooding there from the Fred remnants.

[malaise]

43. Oh yes

Meanwhile Grace looks like it's heading for the Pacific now

[Shanti Shanti Shanti]

42. NYC in in the cone now!, Massive power outages, Laguardia predicted underwater, storm will stall

Dump rain all over the NE

[malaise]

45. Damn n/t

[Shanti Shanti Shanti]

50. Aiming right for the Hamptons on Sunday at high tide, stalling system with 80-100ph gusts

NYC itself still in the cone for western eyewall of Cat 1 hurricane. Whole area will be dumped on with rain for 24 hrs...TWC

[Shanti Shanti Shanti]

51. CT governor declared state of emergency, power companies warn of widespread outages

Everybody better get ready now, tomorrow will be too late

[Shanti Shanti Shanti]

52. Landfall imminent as 65 mph tropical storm, NNW@14, 35mi SE of Montauk

Not as bad as predicted

[malaise]

53. Not muh difference btween 70 and 65mph

The problems were always going to be trees falling because of sustained rain and resultant damage to homes and infrastructure and flooding, Take care everyone

[Shanti Shanti Shanti]

55. Yep, gonna rain all day, trees will fall, most heavy outer rain bands headed east of center

[malaise]

56. We had a visit from Tropical Storm Grace last Tuesday

It was only 45mph - but the rain fell for nearly 24 hours. We were shocked at how many trees came down just around the area where we walk. Downed trees in several parts of the island, power cuts, flooding landslides, and road damage were the big problems