Everyone hopes for a White Christmas, but a White Thanksgiving?
If weather predictions are correct, we’ll have the cold, white stuff to deal with before digging into our turkey dinners for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Wilton Public Schools anticipated the inclement weather, as superintendent Dr. Kevin Smith made an early call to cancel school on Wednesday. Parents’ phones rang across Wilton around 5 p.m. on Tuesday, with an automated message notifying them that classes would be cancelled for the next day.
The National Weather Service started issuing winter storm warnings early on Tuesday, predicting “heavy wet snowfall to impact holiday travel Wednesday and Wednesday night.” As of press time on Tuesday, a “Winter Storm Warning” was in effect for Northern Fairfield County from 7 a.m. Wednesday to 1 a.m. Thursday.
According to the NWS forecast specifically for Wilton, we can expect rain before 9 a.m. Wednesday, when the rain will mix with snow through noon, and that’s when things change to just snow. Temperatures will fall to around 34-degrees by noon, and the NWS says we’ll see snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible. Models suggest it will keep snowing through Wednesday night, notching another 1-3 inches by Thursday morning.
In case anyone needs to stock up with last-minute supplies, Wilton Hardware will be open tomorrow from 8 a.m.-6 p.m., and they’re fully stocked up on ice melt, roof rakes, shovels, roof melt, and driveway markers.
On Tuesday, Gov. Dan Malloy held a press conference urging anyone who could travel earlier than Wednesday or Thursday do so. The NWS also cautioned that the snow and “severe winter weather conditions,” including heavy snow, means dangerous travel. The recommend keeping an extra flashlight, food and water in vehicles in case of emergency.
Also Tuesday, Connecticut Light & Power issued a statement asserting that they were “fully prepared” for the winter storm headed for the east coast,, stating the utility “is prepared to safely and quickly respond to any power outages that might occur. While no utility can prevent outages during severe weather, the significant and ongoing infrastructure improvements to the electric system have made it more reliable and resilient than ever.