A Rare Significant Severe Weather Event in New England

An unusual and high-end severe weather event struck parts of the Northeastern United States on May 15, 2018. Four tornadoes touched down in Connecticut along with tennis ball size hail and a remarkably large and intense swath of destructive straight line winds. The damage across the state was widespread. Two people were killed and more than a quarter million residents lost power in the worst convective event to strike Connecticut since July 1989.

This presentation will look at the meteorology of the event, how our station covered the storm, and some lessons learned. I’ll also touch on how our station prepares for severe weather coverage more generally and how the May 15th event posed some unique challenges for an area unaccustomed to significant severe weather.