Wallingford-Tornado

Vorlage:Infobox tornado outbreak The Wallingford Tornado struck the town of Wallingford, Connecticut on August 9, 1878. The violent tornado destroyed most of the town, killing 34 people and injuring at least 70, many severely. This was the deadliest tornado ever to strike the state of Connecticut, and the second deadliest ever in New England, behind the Worcester tornado of 1953.

Before the storm

The storm system which eventually produced the destructive Wallingford tornado produced damaging winds and at least one tornado far before it reached the doomed town. The first tornado from this storm system touched down in South Kent, unroofing houses, blowing down barns, and uprooting and tossing trees into the air. It moved steadily southeast for 12 miles, moving just south of New Preston, then through Washington, before turning north and dissipating. The next path of damage was further north along the Shepaug River, but still traveling southeast, for three miles before disappearing again. More damage was reported near Waterbury, where a house was unroofed two miles west of the town. In the town itself, branches and chimneys were damaged.

Observers of the storm as it approached the town described a black, rolling funnel cloud, with clouds blowing in from all directions. This cloud passed directly over Cheshire, producing a "heavy wind" at the surface which caused some minor damage. The storm then moved directly towards Wallingford.

The Wallingford tornado

Artist's conception of the tornado destroying a house.

Map of the tornado's path through the town.

In Wallingford, the day prior to the tornado was clear, said to be "one of the loveliest [days] of the season". At around 5 PM the sky began to get dark, and by 5:30 PM the air was very black. At around 6 PM, the air at the surface was calm, but lightning began to fill the sky, and the clouds began moving at a very rapid pace, frightening some residents into shelter.

The tornado started as a waterspout over Community Lake, just west of town. It then moved through town, damaging almost every structure as it went. The tornado tore houses from their foundations, throwing some more than 600 feet (180 meters). A receipt from the town was later found 65 miles (105 km) east in Peacedale, Rhode Island. Large trees were uprooted and snapped; those that were still standing were stripped of small limbs and leaves. The Catholic church was blown to bits, and heavy tombstones in the nearby cemetery were tossed around. The brand-new brick high school building was almost completely destroyed, but there were no deaths there since school was not in session. The tornado's path was only two miles long, but the damage path was up to 600 feet (180 meters) wide.

After this tornado lifted, yet another touched down to the southeast, causing major damage in southern Durham and Killingly, but no known injuries. The parent storm finally moved out over the ocean around 8 PM.

Aftermath

Artist's drawing of damage to the grade school.

A district schoolhouse was converted into a temporary morgue immediately after the storm; 21 bodies were discovered and placed there that night. The tornado brought down telegraph lines and poles around the area, so assistance from physicians in nearby towns took more than an hour. More than 50 special police were sworn in to prevent looting, and to control the crowds of curious onlookers who had come by train from surrounding cities.

Damage estimates were around $150,000 ($2.9 million 2007 USD) from buildings alone; utilities and railway facilities received a lot of damage as well. Final estimates were around $250,000 ($4.8 million 2007 USD).

Conclusion

Tornadoes are not uncommon in the state of Connecticut, but tornadoes of this power are rare. Thirty five homes were completely destroyed, with many more being unroofed or receiving some sort of damage. One person was found dead 3300 feet (1 km) from where he had been standing.

Thirty four people were killed by the tornado, and many more narrowly avoided death.

See also

• List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
• List of Connecticut tornadoes

External links

• Illustrations of tornado damage (at bottom of page)
• Pictures of tornado damage