Hamden tornado 20th anniversary

Hamden (WTNH) - The storms hit New Haven late in the afternoon with heavy rains and winds after hopscotching down the state from Western Massachusetts. Streets began to flood in a matter of minutes on July 10, 1989.

Dr. Mel had been tracking the storms all day.

"Right now we have had a report that the storm now is beginning to bear down very heavily," Dr. Mel had said during the weather broadcast that day.

The Coast Guard in New Haven has reported winds going over 75 miles per hour out in the harbor.

"There has never been, in the history of Connecticut, a longer swarm of tornadoes to have ever occurred," Dr. Mel said.

As darkness fell and people were able to get out, it was quite clear this had been much, much more than just heavy summer thunderstorms.

Along I-95 in Branford, dozens of trees were just snapped off half way up the trunk, attesting to the strength of the winds.

"It went by Salisbury and Cornwall and Litchfield," Dr. Mel said.

The next day when we could put Chopper 8 in the air, the view from above in Cornwall made it perfectly clear that this had been a tornado with trees topped in broad swaths in circular direction.

"Whereever these storms struck they created tremendous damage. I remember looking at Bantam, I mean that whole downtown section was completely destroyed," Dr. Mel said.

But the most davasting view from Chopper 8 came as we flew over Hamden.

"The largest of all tornadoes was the one that struck Hamden. The winds with that particular storm were well in excess of 200 miles per hour, closer to 250 miles per hour," Dr. Mel said.

The storm that devastated Hamden skipped across the Sound and caused more damage on Long Island. In all on that day 17 tornadoes slammed through New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey. But only Hamden was subjected to the F-4 storm, a strength only exceeded by the Windsor Locks tornado ten years earlier.

Both are days no one will ever forget.