Filling their gas tanks and flocking to grocery stores, Connecticut residents are preparing for a weekend of extreme weather.
The deep freeze will strike first. Accuweather predicts a low temperature of 0 degrees early Saturday, with a high of only 15 degrees for the day. A stiff wind will make it feel like the temperature is well below 0. The governor’s cold weather protocol is in effect through noon Wednesday. Residents can dial 211 or check 211ct.org for information on shelters and warming centers.
A snowstorm moving in Sunday morning could be Connecticut’s biggest in a decade. Accuweather is calling for about a foot of snow in Hartford, while the National Weather Service predicts up to 17 inches.
Gov. Ned Lamont is asking drivers to stay off the roads Sunday, saying, “We are strongly urging everyone to make plans in advance to avoid all unnecessary travel on Sunday. Our state snowplow fleet is prepared to clear the roads, and the fewer cars are out there the quicker and safer the snowplow crews can do their work.”
“If you have no other choice than to travel, please slow down, maintain extra distance between vehicles, and never crowd snowplows,” said Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto, who adds that a travel ban is being considered. “Snowplows have limited visibility and need room to operate safely, especially in heavy snowfall.”
The impact of the snowstorm will last well into Monday. A Winter Storm Warning is in effect through 8 pm Monday. Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam says city offices will be closed, and schools could be, too.
More than 50 snow plows will work to clear the roads in Hartford, about 20 more than during a more typical storm. To allow them to work, the capital city’s parking ban starts at 8 pm Saturday. Residents are invited to park in “Blue Light” lots, which open at noon. They’re listed on the city’s website.
“We’re asking you to get your cars off the streets,” said Arulampalam at a midday news conference on Friday. “Those blue lights will go on all across the city, and they’re going to be in parking lots or in driveways for a couple days at least, we don’t know exactly how long, but it’s going to take a while.”
Residents cleared out grocery shelves Friday, and hardware stores were busy too. Dianne Weimer of Park Hardware in Hartford’s Frog Hollow neighborhood said, “Shovels, ice melt are in great demand here in the city. We’ve been able to keep up… snowblowers, also.”