MAJOR WINTER STORM EXPECTED WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING…WINTER STORM WATCHES ISSUED FOR THE ENTIRE STATE…
A MAJOR WINTER STORM IS ENTERING THE STATE AT THIS TIME…WINTER STORM WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT…
At 5:45 PM radar and surface observations showed light snow falling in southwestern CT and starting to fall along the coast up to the New Haven area. Temperatures across the state currently range from the mid 20’s in northern CT to the upper 20’s along the coast. NE winds are currently gusting to 15 – 25 mph along the southeast coast. Winter Storm Warnings are effect across most of the state.
A low pressure center is currently taking shape on the coast of Virginia. This low is forecast to intensify into a fairly strong winter storm and move north along the Delaware coast up to the New Jersey coast overnight. The storm is then expected to turn to the east and move south of Long Island during rush hour Thursday morning and then east of Cape Cod by Thursday afternoon. The following forecast is based on a blend of the three computer models:
This Evening and Overnight: Snow is forecast to spread into the state from southwest to northeast between now and 9:00 PM. The snow is forecast to become very heavy at times between 10:00 PM and 4:00 AM with snowfall rates between 1.5” – 3.0” per hour. The snow should be dry and will stick to the roads very quickly but is not expected to stick to trees or powerlines. Low temperatures are forecast to range from the low to mid 20’s with wind chills in the single digits. Strong northeast winds gusting to 30 - 40 MPH at times will also cause some blowing and drifting of the snow reducing visibility to near zero at times. Driving overnight will be very hazardous. Minor coastal flooding can be expected around the time of high tide just after midnight from Greenwich to East Haven.
Thursday Morning: Moderate to heavy snow early in the rush hour is expected to taper off to lighter snow by 9:00 AM. The impact on the morning rush hour is expected to be moderate to major especially on roads that are not fully plowed overnight. Continued north winds may cause some additional blowing and drifting of snow thru the rush hour.
Total snowfall (see map) is forecast to range from 4” – 8” along the immediate southeast coast, 8” - 12” in southeastern and far eastern CT, 12” – 18” along the I-84 corridor and up to 18” – 24” in the NW hills. The Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection Division of Emergency Management will continue to closely monitor this storm.
The next update will be sent out at 8:00 AM or sooner if the forecast changes significantly.