Tornado Touched Down In CT + New Details On Lee's Expected Impacts

CONNECTICUT — With all the focus on Hurricane Lee recently, Connecticut has been belted by several major storms over the past week and now National Weather Service investigators confirmed Thursday that a tornado touched down in Windham County on Wednesday.

"We will survey storm damage in CT & RI tomorrow. Looking at radar data & videos it does appear likely that a tornado occurred. The survey will help determine its strength on the EF-scale, maximum wind speed, & path length/width. More info (Thursday) as it becomes available," the National Weather Service posted on "X" — the social media site formerly known as Twitter.

In a Thursday update, the weather service said on "X", "Survey team confirmed damage that took place in Killingly CT, Foster RI, Glocester RI, Lincoln RI & North Attleboro MA was tornadic. Team is still determining if it was a continuous path or separate touchdowns, a final EF-rating, path length & width."

National Weather Service investigators will visited Killingly to confirm that a tornado did touch down. Officials told WFSB 3 TV that about 25 trees were knocked over in South Killingly, near Shippee Schoolhouse Road.

Austin Rebello, who is a storm chaser for the weather service, told WFSB 3 TV that he witnessed the trees swaying from the wind and a couple were "snapped off and thrown onto the road and power lines."

“As soon as I started to see trees swaying violently and limbs thrown, I immediately hit the brakes and was ready to floor it backwards if I have to,” Rebello told WFSB 3 TV. (Read/Watch more at WFSB 3 TV).

See also: 12-Year-Old Driver Seriously Injured After Crashing Stolen Car: PD

• Prominent Company Relocating Out Of Connecticut
• 2-Year-Old Child Who Died After Crash Identified, New Details Released: Police

The latest on Hurricane Lee's impacts on CT via WFSB 3 TV

WFSB 3 TV Meteorologists Mark Dixon and Scot Haney said Lee as of Thursday morning is a category 2 hurricane.

"We have issued a FIRST ALERT for fringe effects from Lee on Saturday," Dixon and Haney said. "...Tomorrow, as the center of Lee lifts north, paralleling the East Coast, we’ll see cloud cover increase, and the wind will become breezier. Saturday will be cloudier and windier. Wind gusts will range from 35 to 45 mph, and could possibly lead to isolated/sporadic power outages. With all of the recent rain (5-9″+ in spots, as indicated by radar) root systems of trees could be compromised, making them easier to topple."

"During the morning hours of Saturday, communities over the eastern half of the state will have the highest likelihood of receiving .10-.20″ of rain and the strongest wind gusts. Coastal flooding, erosion, etc. do not appear to be an issue for us based on the northeast wind direction as Lee passes by." (Read/Watch more at WFSB 3 TV).

Here are the extended forecast details via the National Weather Service:

Today: Sunny, with a high near 75. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 72. North wind around 14 mph.

Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 72. Breezy, with a northwest wind 17 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 78.