( CNN ) -- Severe weather took only about five minutes to knock out windows and rip signs and awnings off buildings in downtown Bridgeport , Connecticut , Thursday afternoon , eyewitness Beth Bowman reported . `` In seconds it just turned black , and you ca n't see across the street . There was foggy , crazy hard rain , '' said Bowman , who was in a downtown bookstore in Bridgeport when the severe weather barreled through . After five minutes of darkness , the weather cleared and the sun came out , Bowman said . The damage from the brief but powerful storm included uprooted trees and overturned U.S. postal boxes , she said . Mayor Bill Finch said via Twitter that his city was under a state of emergency . Weather data showed winds up to 75 mph , said CNN meteorologist Sean Morris . It was not immediately clear if the winds were from a tornado or strong thunderstorm , he said . But the National Weather Service characterized the event as a thunderstorm . It reported wind damage that included `` extensive tree damage . '' The Bridgeport Police Department said the storm caused significant damage . Matt Cherry from CNN Radio contributed to this report .
NEW YORK (AP) — Severe weather caused significant damage in Bridgeport , Connecticut . The mayor put Bridgeport under state of emergency . The severe weather 's currently classified as a thunderstorm .