NWS looking at whether microburst caused Stratford storm damage

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The National Weather Service is looking into whether Stratford’s storm damage Wednesday evening was caused by a microburst. “It went from like 0 to 60 mph in under 60 seconds,” said Larry Ciccarelli, public safety director and emergency management director for Stratford. “It was a very isolated, very strong storm. We don’t know if it can be defined as something else. That’s still being investigated.” News 12 obtained doorbell camera footage from resident Kevin Herde of the first round of weather, which Herde initially thought might be a tornado. “That video shows a mild early evening into complete horizontal rain and gusting winds,” Ciccarelli stated. The storm, though powerful, cut a very localized, defined path of damage, through a fraction of town. The area of Nichols Avenue was hit hard, along with nearby streets. “The rain was coming down so hard you couldn't even see through it,” Paula Carlino told News 12, adding that when her husband opened the front door to get a picture, “the wind knocked him backwards right into the front house.” Carlino was one of several spectators near Matt Sandor’s home. “Oh my, God. I had to stop and look and take a picture,” Carlino said, gesturing to the massive tree uprooted at the intersection of Nichols and Greenfield Avenues. The tree had roots over five feet in diameter and crashed into Sandor’s yard and against the house. Sandor explained he was taking a nap when the storm rolled through but was quickly woken up. “It just really picked up over here and got all loud. And I heard a big thud and the whole window shook, like it was vibrating,” Sandor recalled. The tree ripped all the power lines from his home. “It hit the awning. I can't tell with the siding if it did some siding damage because, you know, it's still up against the house, but I don't think it's anything major besides the fence and the trees,” Sandor told News 12. Sandor and others in the neighborhood spent Thursday cleaning up. That included Kathleen and Jim Ceccarelli on nearby Nichols Terrace. “I have never seen such a display of an electrical storm—ever, in 70 some odd years,” Jim Ceccarelli stated. “I described it as the grand finale at a fireworks display. That's how intense it was.” “We weren't sure what we were going to see when we came out,” added his wife, Kathleen Ceccarelli, who was gathering up branches and leaves from the yard. They were one of the few homes in the area that didn’t lose power. Town officials estimated a little over 5% of residents were affected by power outages, but all in the same neighborhoods. Mayor Laura Hoydick released a statement on the storm: "Yesterday's weather event caused an incredible amount downed trees, limbs, branches, and debris. The area of Stratford between and around Huntington Road and Nichols Avenue felt the brunt of the storm, which the National Weather Service confirmed was likely a microburst. After the initial and strongest strand of the storm passed just after 6pm, Stratford Fire and Police went out to assess the damage and block off hazardous roads and areas. Stratford's Department of Public Works immediately responded, calling in crews to remove and clear trees that were blocking road access. Public Works and our Public Safety Director worked closely with United Illuminating where trees had taken down electrical services and left large limbs dangling from power lines. Once UI declared the power lines safe, our Public Works crews removed the trees so UI could restore power to the residents. Clean up efforts continued through the night, and work continues today with more tree takedowns, large limb removals and debris collection. We appreciate the patience of our residents and businesses as cleanup will continue over the next few weeks. Tremendous thanks to our Public Works Department and Public Safety Departments for the coordination of their quick response last night. I would also like to thank the Stratford community for taking proper safety precautions and for helping their neighbors during this time. It is a testament to why Stratford is such a wonderful place to live and work." "