Snow Friday morning, heavier storm comes this weekend – WFSB

HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) – Winter will finally assert itself in the form of a couple of storms over the next several days.

A Channel 3 Early Warning Weather Alert remains in effect for both storms.

The first arrives early Friday morning with snow, a wintry mix and rain.

“A very weak storm system will move through Southern New England tomorrow morning with spotty light snow and rain. Untreated surfaces will be slick for the Friday morning commute,” Chief Meteorologist Bruce DePrest.

Stay with Ch. 3 for any potential school delays or closings.

Gov. Ned Lamont said the Department of Transportation has been pre-treating roads and bridges.

In preparation for the coming snow, #CTDOT has been pre-treating bridges and roads throughout the state. Our fleet of plows is ready and standing by. The forecast continues to show varying models – we’re asking folks to stay alert for updates as it gains more confidence. ❄️⚠️

— Gov. Ned Lamont (@GovNedLamont) January 17, 2019

Snowfall accumulations will be light, ranging from a coating to 1 inch, perhaps 2 inches in some areas.

The storm will move away to the east by Friday afternoon and conditions should improve.

Temps will start out in the 20s but rise into the 30s to near 40 degrees.

Lows will range from 15 to 25 degrees Friday night into Saturday.

Saturday during the day looks quiet, but temps may only reach the low-30s.

Then comes round 2.

A winter storm watch was posted for the entire state for late Saturday into late Sunday.

“Snow probably won’t arrive until later in the day (Saturday), roughly between 4pm and 7pm,” DePrest said, adding that it could be heavy at times.

Since it’ll be cold, there could be between 2 to 6 inches of snow on the ground before it changes to sleet and freezing rain by Sunday morning.

Sunday looks to be quite messy.

Precipitation will be heavy at times and the precipitation type will greatly depend on the exact storm track.

The Early Warning Forecast team couldn’t rule out a foot or more of snow for parts of the state or a significant accumulation of ice that may result in power outages. There could also be just heavy rain.

Regardless of precip type, it will be heavy, from snow, to sleet and/or freezing rain, to a just a cold rain.

Preliminary snowfall totals call for 8 to 14 inches in the northwest part of the state, 4-8 inches along the interior of CT, and 2-4 in the southeastern part of the state.

There is also a good chance it will all end as snow Sunday night.

“This forecast includes snow and sleet, and it is certainly subject to change,” DePrest said.

No matter what happens, it’ll all come to an end Sunday evening and then it’ll turn sharply colder.

Wind chills could drop between -10 to -20 by dawn on Monday. Actual highs will be in the teens.

That means a flash freeze is likely if there’s any slush or water on the roads.

Read the complete technical discussion here.

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