A slow-moving cold front is forecast to move across Connecticut on Friday, Feb. 4. As this front moves from northwest to southeast across the state, a low pressure system is likely to move along the front coming up from the Washington D.C. area into southern New England Friday morning.
UPDATE: The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory, in effect from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST on Friday. Mixed precipitation is expected with a total snow accumulation of up to one inch and ice accumulations of around two tenths of an inch.
Motorists should plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the Friday morning and evening commute.
ORIGINAL POST: Temperatures early Friday morning are forecast to be in the upper 30s, but are expected to fall to near-freezing by mid-morning. Police Chief John Lynch told GMW, “It looks to be mostly rain in our area but may change over to sleet and freezing rain on Friday,” he said, noting that town emergency officials will be monitoring and updating as needed..
The detailed forecast based on the current GFS and NAM models show the following conditions:
Friday Morning, Feb. 4: Rain, becoming moderate at times by daybreak. The rain is forecast to change to a mix of sleet and freezing rain in the northwest hills by 6 a.m. In the Danbury and Hartford areas the rain is forecast to change over to sleet between 6-8 a.m. Plain rain is expected along the coast and in southeastern CT. Most roads should be only wet with a minor impact for the morning rush hour. Temperatures in central CT are forecast to drop from the upper 30s before daybreak down to near freezing by 9 a.m.
Friday Afternoon: Sleet and freezing rain in the northwest hills is forecast to change to wet snow by early afternoon. Sleet in central CT is forecast to continue thru the afternoon with rain in southeastern CT. Temperatures are forecast to hold near 30 degrees F in central CT and in the mid 30s near the coast. Some of the wet snow and sleet may start sticking to any untreated roads by the afternoon rush hour in the northwest hills and across central CT. A minor impact is expected with a few slick spots for the afternoon rush hour.
Friday Evening: The mixed precipitation is forecast to end as light wet snow by 8 p.m. Some black ice can be expected to develop as temperatures fall into the mid 20s.
Note: Some glazing from freezing rain is also possible in the northwest hills, however significant icing is not expected. State emergency officials will continue to monitor the latest forecasts and another update will be sent out at Thursday morning.