Winter Storm “Chris” Update

Occasionally we will share severe weather information consequential to public health, public safety and EMS response. Below is a warning issued by CT DESPP-EMHS.

WINTER STORM WARNINGS ISSUED FOR THE ENTIRE STATE…
HEAVY SNOWSTORM EXPECTED ON THURSDAY…
STATUS OF THE STATE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER – MONITORING

As colder air moves into our area tonight a low pressure system is forecast to form along the cold front in Virginia. This low is forecast to move quickly to the Northeast as the storm intensifies Thursday morning off the Del-Mar-Va Peninsula. The storm is forecast to generate a large area of moderate to heavy snow which will impact southern and central New England on Thursday. The following forecast is based on a blend of the GFS and NAM models and currently has a good confidence level:

Tonight: Becoming cloudy with temperatures dropping into the mid 30’s. Snow is expected to move into the state between 5:00 – 7:00 AM Thursday morning. The snow is expected to become moderate within 2 hours of starting. Temperatures continuing to fall into the low 30’s by daybreak.

Thursday Morning Rush Hour: Moderate snow becoming heavy at times with 2+ inches of snow on roads and snowfall rates of 1″ – 2″ inches per hour by 9:00 AM. The impact on the morning rush hour is expected to start as moderate and become major by the end of the rush hour. Very slick driving conditions are expected with low visibilities down to (1/4) mile at times. The snow is expected to continue heavy at times thru the morning with temperatures continuing to fall into the upper 20’s by noon.

Thursday Afternoon: Snow tapering off during the early afternoon and ending by 4:00 PM. Some blowing and drifting of the snow is expected with north winds increasing to 20 – 30 MPH. The impact on the afternoon rush hour is expected to be moderate with some snow cover remaining on most roads and temperatures in the upper 20’s.

Total accumulations are currently forecast to range from 8″ – 14″ statewide with isolated higher amounts. The snow is expected to be dryer in northern and central CT and somewhat wetter in southern CT. No icing or significant coastal flooding is expected with this storm. The overall impact of this event is expected to be moderate to major.

Updated 2-7-17 at 430PM

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