The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Ready and waiting for snow
TORRINGTON — It was still appropriate for a squirrel to bury acorns Wednesday, but there were folks in line at the Dairy Queen on Main Street.
On the second day of spring, Torrington kept an eye out for snow into the late afternoon, awaiting a storm that held off throughout the work day.
As of 5 p.m., the National Weather Service forecast that the city would get six inches by 8 a.m. Thursday, with a nine in ten chance of receiving an inch or more.
Torrington resident Ted Marola was getting groceries Wednesday afternoon. He was nonplussed by the storm, noting that it was likely to be worse near the coast.
“It’s around the corner, but what’re you going to do?” Marola said. “It’s one of those years.”
Northwest Connecticut has had a recent run of snowfall — Thursday’s expected storm was the fourth in recent days.
According to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Connecticut usually gets an average of 9.3 inches of snow in March.
Winsted received more than that on March 13 alone, according to the National Weather Service.
Both Torrington and Winsted instituted parking
bans ahead of the storm, with the prohibition in Torrington to run through 7 a.m., and the one in Winsted to last until 8 a.m.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy partially activated the state Emergency Operations Center at 2 p.m. Wednesday to monitor the storm, according to a press release.
The Connecticut Department of Transportation has 634 plow trucks to clear the roads, as well as the aid of 200 private contractors,
according to the release.
As of 5:15 p.m., the National Weather Service estimated the chance of daytime snowfall in Torrington at 50 percent, with a possible accumulation of less than an inch.
In the evening hours, the service estimated a 90 percent chance of snow, with three to five inches expected.
“Current forecast has 4-8 inches for Litchfield (County) (lowered from earlier (amounts)), with greatest amounts expected across southeast portions of the County,” said the weather service as of 4:26 p.m. “Litchfield County will be more susceptible to any pivoting snowbands which may develop across southern New England/LI and develop northwest/westward tonight as well.”