A POWERFUL WINTER STORM PASSING TO OUR WEST TUESDAY NIGHT IS EXPECTED TO BRING 2 – 3 INCHES OF RAIN AND STRONG DAMAGING WINDS TO OUR AREA…HIGH WIND WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF THE STATE.
A POWERFUL WINTER STORM PASSING TO OUR WEST TUESDAY NIGHT IS EXPECTED TO BRING 2 – 3 INCHES OF RAIN AND STRONG DAMAGING WINDS TO OUR AREA…HIGH WIND WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF THE STATE.
As of 4:00 PM a High Wind Warning has been issued for New London county and coastal areas of Fairfield, New Haven and Middlesex counties. A Wind Advisory is in effect for Litchfield and Hartford counties. A High Wind Watch is in effect for Tolland and Windham counties. In addition a Flood Watch is in effect for all of Connecticut. A Coastal Flood Warning is in effect for coastal Middlesex and New London counties.
A powerful winter storm is forecast to track across the Great Lakes Tuesday night. Our area will be on the eastern side of this storm, and we can expect strong damaging winds and heavy rain to melt much of the snowpack from yesterday’s storm. The melting snow (equal to 1” of water) may add to the 2” – 3”+ of expected rainfall and could cause moderate urban and small stream flooding Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning.
Tuesday Evening: Rain along with southeast winds are expected to move into the state between 5:00 – 8:00 PM. The winds and rainfall are forecast to quickly pick up with moderate rainfall and winds gusting to 40 – 50 MPH along the coast and 35 – 45 MPH inland by midnight.
Tuesday Night: Strong winds gusting to 50 – 60 MPH at times combined with moderate to heavy rainfall at times are expected to quickly melt the snowpack in southern CT leading to moderate urban (e.g. basement flooding) and small stream flooding. The strong winds may cause a minor to moderate number of power outages.
Wednesday: The rain and wind are expected to taper off around daybreak. However, river flooding is expected to continue thru the day as melting snow in central and northern CT contributes additional water. The level of flooding will depend on how much of the snowpack is melted. If the entire snowpack melts, moderate river flooding may occur. Minor/moderate coastal flooding is also expected during high tide between 9:00 AM and noon in Long Island Sound.
Because this storm is likely to involve both significant rainfall and snow melt, it is recommended that access to drains be cleared of snow in advance in order to maximize water flow