Looking Back On the 40th Anniversary of the Northern CT Tornado

WINDSOR-WINDSOR LOCKS, CT — Do you remember where you were on Oct. 3, 1979? On that date — 40 years ago today — a devastating tornado touched down in the Poquonock section of Windsor and quickly traveled northward, cutting a swath of destruction that remains among the costliest in Connecticut history.

Damage from the sudden twister was estimated at $200 million ($690 million in 2019 dollars). Three people were killed and more than 400 injured.

Shortly before 3 p.m., the tornado struck in northern Windsor, causing considerable damage to the Poquonock Elementary School and tearing the roof off the historic Poquonock Community Church.

Following a northbound path along Route 75 into Windsor Locks, the twister ripped the roof off the Koala Inn (now the Days Inn) and destroyed more than 20 vintage aircraft at the New England Air Museum at Bradley International Airport. The storm traveled through Suffield into Feeding Hills, Mass., where it dissipated about five miles over the state line.

Patch invites readers to share their memories of that terrible day in the comments section below. Three YouTube videos of WVIT-TV's news coverage from that day are shown below.