Stay Away From Downed Wires; Don't Drive Through Standing Water

Update as of 11:36 p.m.

Madison 911 is reporting that there may be wires down

• in the area of Boston Post Road and Cherry Lane in the vicinity of 498 Boston Post Road in the south end of town
• near Old Toll Road and Summer Hill Road in North Madison
• in the vicinity of Old Toll Road and Race Hill in North Madison
• near Wildcat Road and Madison Springs Drive
• near Race Hill Road and Genesee Lane, in the vicinity of 373 Race Hill Road

Emergency responders are also investigating a report of a possible transformer fire near Bishop Lane and Scotland Road.

As of 11:30 p.m., there were about 200 people in town without power, or about 2 percent of about 9,000 customers in town, CL&P reported.

CL&P reminded customers that people should stay away from downed wires and report them immediately:

Keep your distance from any downed power linea, and call 911 to report them to the police or fire department. Treat all wires — even those that are hanging or downed — as if they are "live" (energized). Don't drive over downed lines, and if a downed line is in or near water, keep your distance from the water, even a little puddle. And whether a power line is down or not, don't touch anything that might be in contact with it, such as a tree limb.

If you are experiencing a power outage, you can call CL&P at 1-800-286-2000. There were about 90 CL&P customers without power as of about 10:40 p.m. in Madison, and about 32,404 customers statewide without power, CL&P is reporting.

AccuWeather.com ‏@breakingweather reports that "I-95 southbound is closed near exit 16, Norwalk, Conn., with a car stranded in floodwaters."

The National Weather Service issued this reminder as part of its flood advisory for the region: "Do not drive your vehicle into areas where the water covers the roadway. Most flooding deaths occur in automobiles. Turn around and find another route."

CTDESPP/DEMHS ‏@CTDEMHS reported on Twitter: "Significant ponding of roadways across the state. Do not drive through standing water."

As of around 10:30 p.m., the tornado watch was no longer in effect. Remaining in effect for the area were the following:

• Severe Thunderstorm Warning
• Flash Flood Warning
• Coastal Flood Advisory
• Wind Advisory
• Hazardous Weather Outlook

Update as of 9:25 p.m.

The state Department of Transportation is reporting that I-95 Southbound and Northbound in Norwalk near Exits 16 and 17 are closed, due to flooding.

Metro-North reports that the New Haven Line is reporting "delays of 30-45 minutes in both directions due to downed trees, slippery rails and speed restrictions."

CL&P is reporting about 24,744 outages around the state, including about 2,200 in Darien, about 1,300 in Greenwich, about 2,700 in Westport, and about 1,400 in Stamford.

Update as of 7:56 p.m. and 8:55 p.m.

swctweather, run by an amateur meteorologist, is reporting that the "worst of the storm" is just now entering CT with a massive squall line. "Squall line is now just minutes from entering into Greenwich, CT. Reports of wind damage already streaming in behind it."

Read more on swctweather

As of 8:50 p.m., the National Weather Service had issued the following for Madison and surrounding towns:

• a severe thunderstorm warning
• a flood advisory
• a hazardous weather outlook
• a tornado watch
• a coastal flood advisory
• a severe weather statement
• and a wind advisory

For the latest in advisories and warnings, check the National Weather Service website.

With the worst of the storm yet to come, the number of CL&P customers without power as of 8:55 was about 21,000, scattered around the state. It looks like a large portion of Burlington and Norfolk has been restored. The number of outages in Madison is now listed at 3.

Update:

A tornado watch has been issued for New Haven, Fairfield, and Litchfield counties until 11 p.m. Tuesday, the National Weather Service says. A tornado watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. People in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings. 

As of 5 p.m., Connecticut Light & Power was reporting at 33 customers without power in Madison, or about .36 percent of the more than 9,000 customers in town. Statewide, there were about 14,938 customers without power, or about 1 percent of CL&P's customers. The hardest hit part of the state was the Northwest corner, where Norfolk is 58 percent without power, and Burlington is 47 percent without power.

The state Department of Transportation issued an alert at 4:17 p.m. saying that there is a tree across the Metro-North line in Norwalk, and that the Danbury branch of the line is closed as a result. Metro-North officials said around 5 p.m. that: "New Haven Line Service continues to experience delays of 30-40 minutes in both directions due to wire damage in the vicinity of Pelham." They are asking riders to listen for announcements at stations.

***

Original story:

Nasty weather has caused the cancellation of field strips, school activities, and has contributed to delays on Metro North due to a downed tree, as of early afternoon on Tuesday.

Island Avenue School canceled planned field trips due to the forecast.The Connecticut River Trip for Mrs. Horn's class will be rescheduled for Friday, Sept. 4th, and the Fourth Grade Bushy Hill Trip will be rescheduled for a date to be determined.

At Polson Middle School officials have said there will be no girls field hockey games or practices, and that the game has been rescheduled for Wednesday. There will be no girls or boys soccer practice. Cross Country practice and games have been canceled. Also, there will be no intramural golf, and no intramural tennis.

The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for Madison as well as much of the the rest of the state. The advisory will be in effect from noon today until 6 a.m. tomorrow morning.

Downed Trees, Power Outages

Wind gusts are expected to reach up to 50 miles per hour or more, with sustained winds of some 20 to 30 miles per hour throughout the day today.

The weather service warns the high winds could lead to downed limbs and trees in, as well as scattered power outages.

"This potential will be enhanced in areas of heavy showers or thunderstorms," the meteorologists reported.

'Isolated Tornado' Possible

In a hazardous weather outlook alert also issued for today, the weather service warns today's storm system could also bring with it "heavy rainfall with isolated flash flooding."

"The strength of low level moisture and mass flux into and ahead of this band of low-topped convection should be sufficient for damaging winds associated with both rapid storm motions and precipitation loading within the squall line. A couple of brief, but potentially damaging tornadoes cannot be ruled out. The moderate risk area ... the greatest potential for the above scenario to unfold between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.," the National Weather Service said.

As of 1:20 p.m., there was a tornado watch in effect for south central New York, but none for Connecticut. The National Weather Service also said that thunderstorm wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour were possible for south central New York, along with dangerous lightning.

Extended Forecast

Today's high is expected to reach about 75 degrees. Tomorrow the rain and the clouds are expected to clear out by the early afternoon, with a high of 71. And Thursday is expected to be a picture-perfect last summer day: sunny and 75 degrees — a weather trend that is expected to continue into at least Saturday night.

• Thursday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. Cloudy, with a high near 74. Breezy, with a south wind 14 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 47 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

• Thursday night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. Low around 64. Windy, with a south wind 23 to 28 mph decreasing to 17 to 22 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 47 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.

• Wednesday A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9am, then a slight chance of showers between 9am and noon. Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 70. Northwest wind 9 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

• Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 44. North wind around 10 mph.

• Thursday Sunny, with a high near 70. Northeast wind 7 to 11 mph.

• Thursday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 49.

• Friday Sunny, with a high near 73.

• Friday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 53.

• Saturday Mostly sunny, with a high near 75.

• Saturday Night A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

• Sunday A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 71. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

• Sunday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50.

• Monday Mostly sunny, with a high near 68.