Community Corner

White Out Conditions Possible as Snowstorm Heads for Cheshire

A wintery mix and as much as 18 inches possible in the Cheshire area this weekend as a blizzard targets Connecticut.

White out conditions will be possible and driving is expected to be dangerous as a strong winter storm bears down on Connecticut.

Just days past the 35th anniversary of the historic Blizzard of '78, which dumped more than two feet of snow on Connecticut, another major winter storm is bearing down on us and current computer models indicate it could bring as much as a foot of snow to some areas.

The National Weather Service today says that the current track of the storm could bring "near blizzard' conditions to parts of the state by Friday night "with significant snowfall likely" across eastern Connecticut and eastern Long Island.

Cheshire is in for as much as 18 - 24 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service, and the extreme weather is expected to cause considerable dangers including power outages and make driving impossible.

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Winds could also gust up to 45 miles-per-hour during the heaviest part of the storm Friday evening and overnight.

"Heavy snow and freezing rain will make for dangerous driving conditions," the winter alert said. "In addition, the heavy snow and strong winds could result in near blizzard conditions, bring down some trees and limbs and cause scattered power outages."

The short? Be prepared to stay inside and don't drive unless you absolutely have to.

The impending snow is the result of two storms that are coming together, one from the Great Lakes region, the other from the Gulf Coast, as they approach the Northeast, according to Fox Meteorologist Rachel Frank. The Gulf system has a lot of moisture and the one from the Great Lakes is bringing little precipitation but plenty of cold air, Frank says.

A mix of rain and snow is expected to fall Thursday night, but the real event will begin on Friday when snow will spread across the state in the morning and will continue into Saturday morning. Some areas will see a few inches of snow, but the eastern part of the state could see as much as a foot of snow, the weather service is currently predicting.

The long range forecast
calls for clearing on Saturday with temperatures remaining in the 20s. Sunday will be mostly sunny with temps climbing into the 30s, according to the weather service.

In 1978 a blizzard hit the state on Feb. 6
and the storm, which raged for about 24 hours, left as much as 30 inches of snow in some areas, forcing the closing of the state and paralyzing traffic for days.

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