The National Weather Service service has issued a winter storm watch for late Monday through late Tuesday for parts of Connecticut.
The weather service updated its forecast Monday morning and said heavy snow is possible in area and winds could gust as high as 40 mph. The total snow accumulations could range from 7 to 13 inches, according to the service.
The NWS is predicting snowfall to start 1 a.m. Tuesday morning and continue through the entire day. Expect heaviest snowfall from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Further, the wet snow and gusty winds may result in power outages, the service said Sunday.
Jamie Ratliff, of Eversource Media Relations, CT, said Sunday that “as with any potential storm, we’ve been closely monitoring multiple forecasts and models for the last several days.
“We’ll have crews pre-positioned at our area work centers across the state so they’re ready to respond to any outages as quickly and safely as possible,” Ratliff said.
The weather service warned that travel “could be very difficult” and that the hazardous conditions could impact the morning or evening commute.
“Travel could be very difficult to impossible with snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour at times, the service noted. “Areas of blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions will particularly impact the Tuesday morning commute.”
According to AccuWeather meteorologists: “Just days after near-record warmth in some areas, a storm riding a sudden change in the weather pattern will end up bringing accumulating snow and triggering travel disruptions along much of a 2,000-mile-long swath from the southern Plains and parts of the Mississippi and Ohio valleys to the central Appalachians, the upper part of the mid-Atlantic and southern New England.”
AccuWeather also noted: “The storm has already been responsible for several inches of snow in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma this weekend and eyes for the northeastern United States, where AccuWeather meteorologists are projecting that half a foot to a foot is likely to pile up from northern Pennsylvania and the southern tier of New York to much of Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island just prior to Valentine’s Day.”
“Tuesday morning’s commute is shaping up to be quite a mess for many, including in Scranton and Allentown, Pennsylvania, New York City, and Hartford, Connecticut,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Adam Sadvary said. “Conditions will also deteriorate rapidly in the Boston area during Tuesday morning and midday.”
The warning is issued for parts of northern Connecticut, central, eastern, northeastern, southeastern and western Massachusetts and northern Rhode Island, according to the service. The chance of precipitation is 70%.
A pizza chain is helping keep roads snow-free, including in one CT town
As a precautionary measure the weather service recommended that state residents monitor the latest forecasts for updates on the situation. “If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency,” the service said.
West Hartford, Bloomfield, Glastonbury, Rocky Hill, Norwich, Newington, Meriden and Groton have instituted parking bans in those communities. Norwich’s ban take effect at 10 p.m. today, Feb. 12. Further, “Property owners and occupants are reminded that they are required by City Ordinance (Sec. 19-1 and 19-2) to remove (or sand) all snow, sleet, or ice from the sidewalks abutting their property within Twelve (12) hours of the storm or within Six (6) hours after sunrise if the storm had occurred overnight.”
The Groton parking ban takes effect at 1 a.m. Tuesday.
At the request of the Department of Public Works, the town of Wallingford Police Department said Monday it issued a parking ban that takes effect at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, February 13, 2024 and will remain in effect until Wednesday, February 14, 2024 at 12:01 a.m.
Check back for updates.
