Tropical Storm Isaias Leaves Path Of Damage In CT, Outages

CONNECTICUT — Tropical Storm Isaias is quickly moving through Connecticut, but power outages reached nearly 400,000 as of 6 p.m. The storm is expected to dwindle in strength into the evening.

The storm was less severe than Hurricane Sandy for Connecticut and has been moving at a speed of around 40 mph, Gov. Ned Lamont said. That spared Connecticut from heavy rain. The storm also hit around low tide, which meant the storm surge wasn’t as big of an issue.

“I think we have things well in hand,” Lamont said.

The storm is expected to move out of the state by 7 p.m. or 8 p.m., and there might some strong wind gusts near the end of the storm.

The storm's major impact is hundreds of thousands of power outages and widespread reports of tree and branch damage throughout the state. United Illuminating reported 118,000 outages and Eversource reported 277,000 outages as of 6 p.m. Eversource has had issues with its reporting system and the outages may even be higher.

Some towns have been hit particularly hard. More than 90 percent of Westport, Cheshire, Weston and Redding are without power and the Merritt Parkway is closed in some spots in the southwestern part of the state. Metro North isn’t operating and likely won’t operate for most of the night, Lamont said.

A number of power lines came down in Bethel and a partial building collapse occurred at a woodworking building, which also caused a natural gas leak. Residents have sheltered in their homes and there is no need to open up local shelters, Lamont said. So far it doesn’t appear that a disaster area will need to be declared, he said.

Local storm impacts

The National Weather Service reported numerous storm impacts including: trees down on Armand Road in Fairfield; tree down on Georgia and Massachusetts Road in New London; several trees knocked over in New Haven; a big tree limb fell and hit a condo in the area of Bull Hill Lane apartments in West Haven; Wildwood Road blocked by fallen tree in Stamford; tree uprooted in on Randall Drive; in Hebron on Old Colchester Road trees and wires fell on a car, people were trapped but not hurt; tree and wires down on Martin Road in Hebron; trees down on Prospect Avenue, Arundel Avenue in West Hartford; trees and powerlines down on Bain Bridge Road and North Quaker Lane; tree down on a vehicle on Route 4 and a woman was trapped inside but not hurt in Burlington; and tree and power lines down on Audobon Avenue and Taft Avenue in Newington.

Parts of Fairfield, Hartford and Middlesex counties had tornado warnings at various points throughout the storm, but all expired.

Eversource officials said "We’re experiencing issues with our automated outage reporting systems. We’re aware of the significant number of outages across the state, and are actively working to assess the damage. All of our crews and additional resources are ready to begin restoration when it is safe."

"We are proactively reaching out to customers via e-mail and phone to confirm outages. Thank you for your patience."

These two stories on power outages by town and major road closures will continue to be updated in real time. Keep checking back for updates.

CT Power Outages Town-By-Town List: 390,000+ Outages Reported

There are more than 349,000 power outages as Tropical Storm Isaias moves into Connecticut late Tuesday afternoon.>>>Read More.

Numerous Major Roads Closed In CT: Here's An Updated List

Tropical Storm Isaias is causing numerous problems on the roads in Connecticut as numerous trees have fallen down.>>>Read More.

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What's left of this storm?

The National Weather Service said that tropical storm conditions are expected through this evening. Not a lot of rain is forecast, possibly a tenth or a quarter of an inch.

The storm clears out completely in the overnight hours and then it's nothing but sunshine through Monday except for some clouds on Friday.

Fox 61 Meteorologist Sam Sampieri said at 4:45 p.m. "Even though rain has tapered off, the winds are still gusting to 50+ mph. Tree limbs still coming down all over the place. Power flickering...Stay indoors until storm over. Stay safe."

At 4:30 p.m. NBC CT Chief Meteorologist Ryan Hanrahan said "This remains a very serious wind event. Worst through 6 p.m. Widespread tree and power line damage with some spots of structural damage. Stay indoors and be safe."

Here are details via the NWS:

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 88. Southwest wind 7 to 10 mph.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. North wind 3 to 6 mph.

Friday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 82.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 84.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 84.