SCHOOLS CLOSE AS REGION BRACES FOR NOR’EASTER TODAY

Area schools systems have begun announcing they will be closed today as a nor’easter is expected to bring high winds and up to 12 inches of snow to the region.

On Sunday, East Lyme, Salem, Lyme-Old Lyme, Norwich, Ledyard, Montville and Waterford announced schools will be closed while Groton, Stonington, Preston and Norwich Free Academy said there will be remote learning today.

Western Connecticut State University Meteorologist Garry Lessor said Sunday that snow was expected to begin falling in southeastern Connecticut around 3 a.m. today.

“You could see a coating or so on your morning drive,” Lessor said. “Snow picks up during the afternoon, and then it looks as though it should change to rain for the immediate shore Monday night. There’s still some question as to if that’s going to happen, but I think it will.”

Lessor said it will rain into Tuesday morning before turning back into snow toward the end of the storm. He thinks before the rain, there could be 5 to 10 inches of snow, with a possible total of 6 to 12 inches.

“A big concern is wind,” Lessor said. “We’re looking at peak gusts in southeastern areas around 55 miles per hour.”

He said winds should start at around 20 mph Monday morning and hover between 25 and 30 mph during the afternoon and evening hours. The gusts of wind should begin to back off on Tuesday, dropping into low 40-mph range. Lessor said the worst of the wind will be near the shore, “but it’s going to be windy inland, too.”

Lessor said to expect school cancellations and scattered power outages.

“I think parts of southern Connecticut could get a blizzard warning tomorrow,” he said. “I think that’ll be more in the southwestern areas. This is where it pays to be in eastern areas.”