A confirmed EF-0 tornado passed within a short distance of western Greenwich Tuesday afternoon as severe thunderstorms brought damaging winds, intense rain, fallen trees, utility outages and travel delays across the region.
The tornado formed at 4:10 p.m. on the Manhattanville University campus in Purchase and moved east-northeast through Rye Brook before dissipating at 4:17 p.m. Its intermittent path extended 1.82 miles, reached 40 yards at its widest point and produced estimated peak winds of 85 mph. No injuries or deaths were reported.
A National Weather Service damage survey found uprooted trees and snapped large branches on the Manhattanville campus, additional damage near Lincoln Avenue and Loden Lane, and fallen trees and wires near Lawridge Drive. Radar detected rotation and storm debris carried several thousand feet above the ground.
The survey determined that the tornado ended before reaching Connecticut. Storm damage, however, continued into Glenville at nearly the same time. Trees and wires were reported down on Ettl Lane at about 4:15 p.m., and photographs sent to the Sentinel show a mature tree blocking a wet roadway as an Eversource crew worked nearby.
“Apparently we had a small tornado here in Glenville yesterday. It missed my house by half a block,” the resident who submitted the photographs wrote Wednesday morning.
The confirmed tornado did not cross the state line, but its proximity and timing explain why residents in Glenville and Pemberwick believed the circulation had entered Greenwich. The available damage reports do not establish whether the Greenwich tree damage resulted from straight-line winds, a brief unconfirmed circulation or another localized wind event.
The storm was part of a volatile weather pattern that struck Greenwich in two rounds. A flash flood warning was issued late Tuesday morning after 1 to 2 inches of rain had fallen, with another 1 to 2 inches possible. A severe thunderstorm warning followed for a storm capable of producing 60 mph gusts and quarter-size hail.
Rainfall totals varied sharply across town. Some Greenwich gauges recorded more than 4.4 inches, while others measured closer to an inch, reflecting the narrow and concentrated nature of the heaviest downpours.
The storms caused hundreds of local power outages and contributed to Metro-North delays after weather-related signal problems near Stamford. Greenwich Point and Byram Beach were closed to swimming Wednesday because rainfall exceeded town closure thresholds. Island Beach and Great Captain’s Island remained open. Crews continued cleanup and restoration work Wednesday.
