1979 жылғы Коннектикут штатындағы F4 құйыны

F4 tornado in Connecticut, United States

The Windsor Locks, Connecticut tornado struck the towns of Windsor, Windsor Locks, and Suffield, Connecticut, and Feeding Hills, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, October 3, 1979. The short lived but intense tornado struck without warning and caused three deaths and 500 injuries along its 11.3 mile (18 km) track. It received a rating of F4 on the Fujita scale, one of only three F4 tornadoes in Connecticut's history.

The storm system that caused the tornado had produced severe weather, including two weak tornadoes, in eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey that morning. This was an unusual setup for a significant tornado, associated with a warm front near a low pressure center. A thunderstorm cell formed south of Long Island around 10:20 am, and became a supercell sometime later after interacting with a surface low pressure center. It is unknown whether this leftward movement was due to an atmospheric interaction or terrain induced movement, as the storm moved straight up the Connecticut River valley. Eyewitness reports have the tornado ripping the roof off a grocery store in Wethersfield, Connecticut. Trees were uprooted in East Hartford, Connecticut. The tornado then touched down in Poquonock, Connecticut, a village in the town of Windsor, just north of Hartford. Poquonock Elementary School was heavily damaged; fortunately, students were sent home early at 1:30 pm on Wednesdays. The historic Poquonock Community Church building had its roof ripped off. All but one of the stained glass windows from the old church was salvaged. The tornado traveled almost due north, an unusual direction for a tornado. The most severe damage occurred along River Road, Hollow Brook Road, Pioneer Drive and Settler Circle, where large frame houses were left "in splinters". The tornado then crossed the northern portion of the airport, where the New England Air Museum was located. More than 20 vintage aircraft were completely destroyed, with many more damaged. The museum's hangar was also rendered unusable. The tornado moved north into Feeding Hills before dissipating near the Westfield city line, about five miles north of the Massachusetts state line. The tornado was accompanied by more than of rain, and several instances of downburst winds.

Because there were no tornado warnings before the storm (and it occurred in an area where tornadoes are rare), the initial damage reports claimed an explosion had damaged a roof. About 500 National Guardsmen were activated to prevent looting and direct traffic, and the area was declared a disaster area by President Carter. At the airport, at least 30 vintage aircraft were damaged or destroyed, as well as most of the state's National Guard helicopters. Over 400 people were hospitalized, mostly for injuries from flying glass or the victims' having been thrown by winds.