Weather
CT Weather: Winter Storm Watch Issued; 17 Inches Of Snow Possible
The National Weather Service said parts of Connecticut will see a foot or more of snow and some areas could see as much as 17 inches.
CONNECTICUT — The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for all of Connecticut and parts of the state may see up to 17 inches of snow by early Thursday. Wind gusts may make it look like blizzard conditions at times.
For southern Connecticut, the winter storm watch is in effect from Wednesday afternoon through Thursday afternoon. A total of 12-17 inches of snow is expected for southern Connecticut. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph, especially along the coast.
"Travel could be very difficult to impossible," the weather service said. "Hazardous conditions could impact the Wednesday evening and Thursday morning commute."
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For Hartford, Tolland and Windham counties, the winter storm watch is in effect from Wednesday evening through Thursday afternoon. A total of 6 inches or more of snow is possible and winds could gust up to 40 mph.
Find out what's happening in Across Connecticutfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"Travel could be very difficult," the weather service said. "The hazardous conditions could impact the Thursday morning commute ... Snow developing by Wednesday evening and becoming heavy at times Wednesday night into early Thursday. Snow tapering off by Thursday afternoon."
And in Litchfield County, the weather service said more than 7 inches of accumulation is expected.
"Snowfall rates may exceed an inch per hour at times," the weather service said.
The snow will begin after 1 p.m. Wednesday in the western part of the state and pick up in intensity Wednesday night, continuing through late Thursday morning before tapering off to snow showers in the early afternoon hours. (Don't miss local and statewide news from all across Connecticut. Sign up for free Patch alerts and daily newsletters.)
Local meteorologists offered their snow predictions, including the WFSB 3 TV weather team, NBC CT Chief Meteorologist Ryan Hanrahan and Fox 61 Chief Meteorologist Rachel Frank.
Due to the potential for a significant amount of snow on Wednesday into Thursday, Channel 3 has named the storm #WinterStormBailey. Here's a look at the preliminary snow forecast https://t.co/X649gIMDLD pic.twitter.com/F6tcfL1RFI
— WFSB Channel 3 (@WFSBnews) December 14, 2020
The National Weather Service also on board with a general 8"-12" of snow across the state per their afternoon update. pic.twitter.com/VePZ1V8NUQ
— Ryan Hanrahan (@ryanhanrahan) December 14, 2020
First REAL snow map of the season. This is very similar to the NWS forecast. Snow Wednesday evening, heaviest Thursday morning then slowly winding down in the afternoon. Could this still change (I knew you would ask), yes! But confident in a widespread plowable snow. #fox61 pic.twitter.com/phJFllv0SI
— Rachel Frank (@RachelFrank_CT) December 14, 2020
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