Storms rip through, cause power outages


 

WINSTED — More than 6,000 Winchester residents experienced power outages or interruptions after heavy thunderstorms whipped through town Tuesday night. Even by Wednesday at midday, 600-plus residents remained without power. That number had diminished to 11 by Thursday morning.

The Connecticut Light and Power Company (CL&P) reported that nearly 130,000 customers statewide were affected by power outages or interruptions in the wake of the storms, which hit the Laurel City at about 10 p.m., ending a record-breaking heat wave. The company reported that about 15,500 customers remained without power Wednesday morning, including nearly all customers in Norfolk and Colebrook, where trees and power lines were down in numerous locations. By Thursday, a total of 2, 777 customers were still in the dark; 472 were in Norfolk, where 100 percent of customers had been without power on Wednesday.

Winsted Town Manager Keith Robbins said he was taking a tour of Winsted’s roads Wednesday morning to assess the damage in town. He said CL&P was working to have everyone restored by midnight but there would probably be some residents without power. "I have full confidence that they are doing their best to restore power to our residents," he said.

Behind Town Hall on Center Street, a giant tree was uprooted and sprawled across the front yard of a two-family house. Center Street and many other roads throughout the area were shut down as townspeople awaited crews to clear the damage.

Access to Winsted via Smith Hill, Deer Hill and Spencer Hill roads was prohibited by downed trees and limbs, altering many residents’ commutes to work Wednesday morning. Local road crews were out in force throughout the day to remove debris but had to wait for the go-ahead from CL&P to complete work in some areas.

The cold front that brought Tuesday night’s storms ended a sticky heat wave that set a new record at Bradley International Airport, where the temperature reached 98 degrees. The previous record for June 10, set in 1974, was 97 degrees.

Temperatures dropped into the high 80s following the arrival of the front, with lower humidity and cooler overnight temperatures. Daytime highs were expected to remain in the 80s through the weekend, with low temperatures around 60.

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