The nor'easter bearing down on Connecticut and the Northeast might pack a nasty punch, even for those who've been looking forward to a significant snowstorm during this mild winter.
The storm that will clamp down starting Monday night will bring a wide range of snowfall-- from just a few inches along the coast up to 18 inches or more in Litchfield County-- but also a stiff wind gusting to more than 40 mph that's expected to last well into Wednesday.
The region's largest utility, Eversource, says the combination and wet, heavy snow and wind could bring down limbs or whole trees, knocking out power to about 10 percent of its customers. That's about 130,000 homes and businesses.
“That combination of heavy wet snow, long duration of sustained winds, long duration of gusts will almost certainly bring down tree limbs and entire trees,” said Steve Sullivan, president of Connecticut electric operations for Eversource, which is bringing in crews from other states. “Those will damage the electric system.”
With highway safety in mind, Gov. Ned Lamont has banned all tandem tractor trailers and empty tractor trailers from I-84 statewide, effective at 6 am on Tuesday, until further notice.
Connecticut is far from the only area to expect a rough time with this storm. According to the National Weather Service, higher elevations in New York's mid-Hudson region and the Albany area could receive 3 feet of snow.
Snow in the western part of Massachusetts could exceed 18 inches. Vermont and New Hampshire will also be hit.