A powerful line of severe thunderstorms swept through Connecticut on Saturday night, July 4, 2026, causing widespread power outages, road closures, and significant property damage across multiple counties.
The National Weather Service reported that the storm system brought destructive winds up to 80 mph and golf ball-sized hail to western and northwestern parts of the state.
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According to utility logs from Eversource and United Illuminating at 10:59 a. m.
Sunday, more than 70,800 customers remained without electricity, down from a peak of approximately 100,000 outages on Saturday night.
Hardest-Hit Areas
Hardest-hit municipalities included New Britain, where 7,473 residents lost power, as well as New Canaan and Torrington, which registered 5,113 and 4,133 outages respectively.
The town of Harwinton officially declared a state of emergency on Saturday night after the tempest left more than 80 percent of its 2,666 households in total darkness.
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Emergency response teams faced severe strain in Litchfield County, where local officials activated Task Force 83 to manage the overwhelming volume of distress calls coming from the Torrington area.
A diagonal path of destruction stretched from Salisbury at the New York border down into Goshen, Torrington, and Harwinton, which bore the brunt of the fast-moving system.
The heavy winds downed trees and live wires, forcing the Connecticut Department of Transportation to close major thoroughfares including Route 63 in Goshen, Route 37 in New Fairfield, and US-7 in New Milford, Salisbury, Canaan, and Sharon.
In Middletown, emergency marine crews responded to the Connecticut River near the Mattebassett River inlet on Saturday evening after receiving reports of a boat taking on water with passengers clinging to a bridge abutment.
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Utility crews continue working to clear debris and restore electricity across the state, while local fire officials urged motorists to treat all dark traffic signals as four-way stop signs.
