First snowstorm blankets much of Connecticut

Some surprises as precipitation arrives

NEW HAVEN — Connecticut’s first real snowfall of the season descended on the area Saturday, but not without some misdirection and a surprise or two as several inches of the white stuff fell gently from the sky.

The relatively light snow accumulated on grassy areas but was slow to stick on pavement until after the sun went down and temperatures began to dip below freezing.

With those dropping temperatures came concerns about possible black ice, and WTHN Storm Team 8 Co-Chief Meteorologist Joe Furey said that anyone going out “very early Sunday morning — 5,6,7 in the morning — needs to watch out for black ice.”

The snow was expected to taper off around midnight, with some lingering flurries. Sunday is supposed to be sunny and in the mid-30s to around 40 degrees, he said.

“For anybody’s who’s on the couch and doesn’t want to get up, the sun will help you” by melting some of that snow when it comes out, Furey said.

But people who think it just can’t be Christmas without a blanket of snow can take heart: more snow may be on the way by the middle of the week, Furey said.

“We have a pretty good chance to have a white Christmas this year,” he said. “This is our best shot to have a white” in a few years, he said.

While overall Saturday’s snowfall was “getting pretty close” to the 3-6 or 7 inches forecast, it didn’t all fall where it was expected to, Furey said.

As it turned out, some areas in southern and eastern Connecticut that had been subject to a more serious winter storm warning got less snow than some areas in the northern reaches of New Haven and Fairfield counties that had been part of an area covered by a less serious winter storm watch, he said.

“Wolcott’s got half a foot of snow,” Furey said, mentioning one area that got more snow than expected.

Generally speaking, what determined how much snow fell in a given area had more to do with elevation than geography, with higher-elevation areas getting the higher snow totals, Furey said.

That was just one of many things that were surprising about the seasons first snowfall, he said.

It’s been an event ... like a 2,000-mile swath of snow from northern Mexico to Maine,” Furey said. “Everywhere that doesn’t” or “that rarely sees it” got snow this time, he said. “In suburbs of Atlanta ,they call it ‘historic snow,’” he said.

New Haven city spokesman Laurence Grotheer said city officials scaled back their expected snowfall estimates. Officials on Friday had said they were expecting up to 6 inches of snow. Grotheer said, generally speaking, it’s easier to scale back than amp up responses.

Grotheer said a citywide parking ban would still be enacted. The ban was to begin at 11 p.m. Saturday night and remain in effect until 7 a.m. Sunday. City school lots will be available for residents to park vehicles, with the provisions that they remove their cars by 9 a.m. Sunday, Grotheer said.

“The city is prepared to ensure the safety of those who are driving on city streets,” Grotheer said.

The city dispatched 28 city trucks and eight trucks from private contractors to address the snowstorm, Grotheer said. The city’s Public Works Department pre-treated city streets with a brine solution on Friday evening, focusing on streets with inclines, intersections and nearnearby bridges.

The Parks Department deploye 14 vehicles to focus on snow accumulation affecting bus stops, city libraries, fire stations and the Long Wharf area. They will focused on city parks, including the New Haven Green.

Residents who see weather-related issues like fallen trees or downdowned power lines may contact the city at 203-9467669 to report concerns.