Glastonbury storm: microburst, not a tornado

GLASTONBURY, Conn. (WTNH) -- One of the hardest hit towns in Connecticut from Friday's storms was Glastonbury.

The National Weather Service (NWS) out of Taunton, M.A. concluded on Saturday afternoon that a microburst hit Glastonbury on Friday, not a tornado.

The NWS said that winds were estimated in the range of 85 to 100 miles per hour.

Strong winds brought down trees and power lines across the town as strong thunderstorms rolled through around 4:30 p.m. Friday.

News 8 caught up with one resident who saw more than her fair share of damage.

"My husband had called when I was on my way here, and he said, 'I have no words, when you get here, you'll see what happened.' And like I said, every single door is completely blocked," explained Tracy Herzer of Glastonbury, "and we had eight massive 30-inch diameter trees come down."

Her Glastonbury home on Weir Road got smacked by a fast-moving storm that blew through Connecticut Friday evening. She has never seen tree damage like this.

News 8 asked her how Tropical Storm Irene and the autumn nor'easter compared to this storm.

"We actually made it through those very well, we just had seven days of no power, but no trees down on that one," she said.

Tracy is not alone with cleanup headaches. Glastonbury got punched in several places. Wassuc Road in South Glastonbury had several trees and power lines down.

On Weir Street, in front of Tracy's house, there is firewood that could last a winter, maybe two.

Her weekend to-do list? It may take many weekends to clear this mess. 

A Tornado Warning was in effect for Glastonbury and surrounding towns as the storm passed through.

More than seven hours after the storm, more than 1,600 customers in Glastonbury were still without power.