Windsor Locks, Connecticut, tornado
| F4 tornado | |
|---|---|
 Destroyed homes in Windsor Locks. Image by Windsor Locks Fire Department. | |
| Max. rating1 | F4 tornado |
| Fatalities | 3 |
| Damage | $442 million (1997 USD) |
| 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale | |
The Windsor Locks, Connecticut tornado struck on October 3, 1979. The short-lived but intense F4 tornado caused three deaths, 500 injuries, and—with more than $300 million in property damage along an 11 miles (18 km) path—ranks as the sixth most destructive tornado in American history.
The tornado touched down in Poquonock, Connecticut, a section of the town of Windsor, just north of Hartford, Connecticut in the Connecticut River valley. It traveled north through the town of Windsor Locks, Connecticut before dissipating in the town of Suffield, Connecticut, just south of the Massachusetts state line.
The path of the tornado crossed the northern portion of Bradley International Airport, and many vintage aircraft at the nearby New England Air Museum were damaged or destroyed.