459
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
45
Direct injuries
$5.5M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Fairfield County, Connecticut: 459 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 87. That places the county #142 nationally and #2 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Fairfield County, Connecticut: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Fairfield County is the 2010s, when 177 of the county's 459 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Fairfield County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 56.3% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #142 for this hazard and #2 within Connecticut, putting it in the 95.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Fairfield County with 116 recorded events, while Dec is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 23, 2011 | HUNTING RIDGE | 26 | 1 | 2 | $8K |
| May 15, 2018 | DANBURY | 61 | 1 | 1 | $5K |
| Jul 17, 2019 | BRIDGEPORT | 52 | 1 | 0 | $7K |
| Jun 30, 2019 | FAIRFIELD | 52 | 1 | 0 | $6K |
| May 15, 2018 | NEW FAIRFIELD | 61 | 1 | 0 | $5K |
| Jun 22, 1997 | STAMFORD | 50 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 24, 2010 | BRIDGEPORT | 87 | 0 | 25 | $3.2M |
| Sep 21, 1997 | REDDING | 50 | 0 | 3 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 6, 2025 | BERKSHIRE | 50 | $3K |
| Jul 25, 2025 | NEW CANAAN | 50 | $2K |
| Jul 3, 2025 | WESTPORT | 55 | $3K |
| Jul 3, 2025 | SOUTH WILTON | 50 | $2K |
| Jul 3, 2025 | NICHOLS | 60 | $10K |
| Jul 3, 2025 | LONG HILL | 60 | $3K |
| May 3, 2025 | RIDGEFIELD | 50 | $3K |
| Apr 26, 2025 | KNOLLCREST | 50 | $1K |
| Aug 3, 2024 | MONROE | 50 | $1K |
| Aug 3, 2024 | SHELTON | 55 | $15K |
Other hazards here
More from Fairfield County
- Flash Flood 169
- Hail 78
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Straight line winds in Bridgeport, in addition to the small EF1 Tornado, caused the collapse of 5 complete buildings, including one on Knowlton Street, with damage to 9 other buildings. The winds, estimated at 100 mph also blew a billboard off an apartment building, blew out windows and off bricks from buildings, flipped over a tractor trailer on I-95 between exits 27 and 28, flipped over cars on Route 25 between exits 3 and 4, and tore some siding of off the City Hall Annex. It also tore down radio towers, brought down hundreds of trees, including 2 on a house on Bond Street, and across Route 25 between exits 3 and 4. 57 streets were at least partially closed due to the wind damage. Around two dozen people were displaced by the storm. Note damage estimate includes damage from the tornado, as the total is hard to separate.
A severe thunderstorm moved through Fairfield County in southwest Connecticut, producing damaging winds. The wind damage was discontinuous and caused by very strong downburst winds. The most severe damage was in New Canaan. The path extended some 30 miles and was one of a "skipping" character. In New Canaan, trees were reported blown down all over town and many had their tops clipped off. Nineteen roadways were closed due to fallen trees. Power was knocked out to the entire town. A tree fell on a car during the height of the storm and shortly after the storm had ended, a 73-year-old man suffered head injuries when a damaged tree limb fell on his car.
Hundreds of trees were reported down in Stratford, with the Lordship section hardest hit, with the Paradise Green section a close second. Several structures as well as a few cars were reported to have trees fall on them. One person was injured when a tree branch fell on the car they were in, and a police car had its windshield blown out by the winds.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Fairfield County, Connecticut?
459 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Fairfield County between 1956 and 2025, causing 6 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Fairfield County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Fairfield County measured 87.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Fairfield County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Fairfield County, Connecticut.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/connecticut/fairfield-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.