Storm Knocks Down Trees, Knocks Out Power In Vernon

VERNON, CT — Residents of Vernon Tuesday woke up to a mess left behind by a rainstorm accompanied by heavy winds.

At 7:30 a.m. Vernon had 750 homes without power, and that number jumped to 1,020 two hours later according to the Eversource outage map.

Vernon Public Works Director Dwight Ryniewicz said seven areas of town were affected by downed trees. Some areas like Robin Road off Center Road were lightly affected. There was a tree across the pavement, but it was not near bus stops or wires. The Hatch Hill and Brandy Hill corridor had trees that took down wires, he said.

Ryniewicz said DPW crews will be at it all day in an effort to clean. Up after the storm.

The DPW was out in force prior to the storm, making sure catch basins, culverts, retention ponds and stream flows were working freely.

"We like to be pro-active," he said. "It makes things a lot easier when the storm hits."

According to the National Weather Service, the easternmost Interstate 84 corridor received the brunt of the storm with rain totals up to 2 inches from Vernon, through Tolland and into Willington, Stafford and Union.

The area near near I-84's Exits 70 to 73 received 2.05 inches of rain.

Though specific station‑by‑station NWS gust records for each town hadn’t been published early Tuesday morning, the statewide data indicate that gusts along the I‑84 corridor likely reached 35 to 45 mph during the Monday afternoon hours and up to 50 and even 60 mph overnight into Tuesday.